LIBRARY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


The 

Associate  Hermits 

By 

Frank  R.  Stockton 

Author  of 
"The   Great   Stone  of   Sardis" 

With    Illustrations    by 

A,  B.  Frost 


NEW    YORK    AND    LONDON 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS  PUBLISHERS 

1899 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


BY    THE    SAME   AUTHOR. 


THE  GREAT  STONE  OF  SARDIS.  A  Novel. 
Illustrated  by  PETER  NEWELL.  Post  8vo,  Cloth, 
Ornamental,  $1  50. 

"The  Great  Stone  of  Sardis  "  is  as  queer  and  prepos- 
terous as  can  be  imagined,  yet  as  plausible  and  real- 
seeming  as  a  legal  document.  .  .  .  There  is  a  treat  in  the 
book.— Independent,  N.  Y. 

A  new  and  worthy  example  of  Stockton's  kindly, 
wholesome,  original,  and  inexhaustible  humor.  —  Syra- 
cuse Post. 

Narrated  with  a  seriousness  that  gives  the  adventures 
a  semblance  of  matters  of  fact.  Through  the  narrative 
runs  a  love  interest  which  Mr.  Stockton  manages  with 
great  skill. — Washington  Post. 


NEW   YORK   AND    LONDON  : 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS. 


Copyright,  1898,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


All  rights  reserved. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  DAWN  OF  A  WEDDING- JOURNEY  ....  i 

II.  ENTER  MARGERY 7 

III.  SADLER'S 15 

IV.  A  CATARACT  OF  INFORMATION 23 

V.  CAMP  ROB 35 

VI.  CAMP  ROY 42 

VII.  A  STRANGER 52 

VIII.  THE  BISHOP'S  TALE 63 

IX.  MATLACK'S  THREE  TROUBLES     ......     74 

X.  A  LADIES'  DAY  IN  CAMP 82 

XI.  MARGERY  TAKES  THE  OARS go 

XII.  THE  BISHOP  ENGAGES  THE  ATTENTION  OF  THE 

GUIDES 100 

XIII.  THE  WORLD  GOES  WRONG  WITH  MR.  RAYBOLD  105 

XIV.  THE  ASSERTION  OF  INDIVIDUALITY 113 

XV.  A  NET  OF  COBWEBS  TO  CAGE  A  LION     .     .     .123 

XVI.  A  MAN  WHO  FEELS  HIMSELF  A  MAN  ....  135 
XVII.  MRS.  PERKENPINE  ASSERTS  HER  INDIVIDUALITY  143 

XVIII.  THE  HERMITS  ASSOCIATE 153 

XIX.  MARGERY'S  BREAKFAST 161 

XX.  MARTIN  ASSERTS  His  INDIVIDUALITY  .     .     .     .173 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACK 

XXI.  THE  INDIVIDUALITY  OF  PETER  SADLER     .     .185 
XXII.  A  TRANQUILLIZING  BREEZE  AND  A  HOT  WIND  194 

XXIII.  MRS.  PERKENPINE  FINDS  OUT  THINGS  ABOUT 

HERSELF 205 

XXIV.  A  DISSOLVING  AUDIENCE 212 

XXV.  A  MOONLIGHT  INTERVIEW 220 

XXVI.  AN  ELOPEMENT 229 

XXVII.  MRS.  PERKENPINE  DELIGHTS  THE  BISHOP  .     .  239 
XXVIII.  THE  HERMITS  CONTINUE  TO  FAVOR  ASSOCIA- 
TION       248 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  SUPPER Frontispiece 

"' CAN   THIS   BE   SADLER'S  ?'" Facing  p.      16 

"   '  THEY  THROW   THE   OTHER   THINGS   BACK  '  "  54 

"A  LESSON  IN  FLY-FISHING" So 

"BUT  THE  BISHOP  KNEW  BETTER"    ....  98 
"  WITH  A  GREAT  HEAVE  SENT  HIM  OUT  INTO 

THE  WATER" "        102 

"  'WHERE  ARE  ALL  OUR  FRIENDS?'  "...  "        ISO 

"  'HAVEN'T  TRIED  IT'" "        202 

"  'IF  THEY  AIN'T  THE  CAMP  ROBBERS1.'"  .    .  "       232 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 


CHAPTER  I 
THE   DAWN   OF   A   WEDDING-JOURNEY 

MR.  AND  MRS.  HECTOR  ARCHIBALD  were  pros- 
perous and  happy  dwellers  in  a  suburb  of  one  of 
our  large  towns.  Fortune  had  favored  them  in 
many  ways  —  in  health  and  in  a  good  average 
happiness.  They  had  reached  early  middle  age, 
and  their  daughter  Kate,  their  only  child,  had 
grown  up  to  be  a  beautiful  and  good  young 
woman,  and  was  on  the  point  of  marrying  a 
young  lawyer — Rodney  Bringhurst  by  name — in 
every  way  worthy  of  her. 

Hector  Archibald  was  a  little  man,  with  small 
bright  eyes,  and  hair  slightly  touched  with  gray 
and  very  much  inclined  to  curl.  His  disposition 
was  lively.  He  had  a  strong  liking  for  cheerful 
occurrences,  and  was  always  willing  to  do  his 
part  in  the  bringing  about  of  such  events.  Nov- 
elty had  a  charm  for  him.  He  was  not  bound  by 
precedence  and  tradition,  and  if  he  had  found 
himself  at  a  dinner  which  began  with  coffee  and 

A  I 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

ended  with  oysters  on  the  half -shell,  he  would 
have  given  the  unusual  meal  a  most  animated 
consideration,  although  he  might  have  utterly 
withheld  any  subsequent  approbation.  As  a  gen- 
eral thing,  he  revolved  in  an  orbit  where  one 
might  always  be  able  to  find  him,  were  the  prop- 
er calculations  made.  But  if  any  one  drew  a  tan- 
gent for  him,  and  its  direction  seemed  suitable 
and  interesting,  he  was  perfectly  willing  to  fly 
off  on  it. 

The  disposition  of  Mrs.  Hector  Archibald  was 
different.  She  was  born  to  be  guided  by  customs, 
fashions,  and  forms.  She  believed  it  was  the 
duty  of  a  married  woman  to  make  her  home 
happy,  and  she  did  it.  But  she  also  believed  that 
in  the  best  domestic  circles  there  were  rules  and 
usages  for  domestic  happiness  which  would  apply 
to  every  domestic  condition  and  contingency. 
It  frequently  troubled  her,  however,  to  find  %  that 
certain  customs,  forms,  or  usages  of  domestic  so- 
ciety had  changed,  and  being  of  a  conservative 
turn  of  mind,  it  was  difficult  for  her  to  adapt  her- 
self to  these  changes.  But,  thoroughly  loyal  to 
the  idea  that  what  was  done  by  people  she  loved 
and  people  she  respected  ought  also  to  be  done 
by  her,  she  earnestly  strove  to  fit  herself  to  new 
conditions,  especially  when  she  saw  that  by  not 
doing  so  she  would  be  out  of  touch  with  her  fam- 
ily and  her  friends. 

Now  of  course  the  wedding  of  their  daughter 
was  the  only  thing  in  the  world  that  seemed  of 
real  importance  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald,  and 
for  this  all  preparations  and  plans  had  been 
agreed  upon  and  made  with  great  good-will  and 


DAWN    OF   A   WEDDING-JOURNEY 

harmony,  excepting  one  thing,  and  that  was  the 
wedding-trip.  Strange  to  say,  the  young  people 
did  not  wish  to  take  a  wedding-trip.  They  be- 
lieved that  this  old-fashioned  custom  was  unnec- 
essary, troublesome,  commonplace,  and  stupid. 
In  the  gardens  and  grounds  of  the  Archibald 
mansion,  and  in  the  beautiful  surrounding  coun- 
try, they  had  loved  each  other  as  lovers,  and 
among  these  scenes  they  wished  to  begin  to  love 
each  other  as  a  married  couple.  Why  should 
such  distasteful  and  unpleasant  ingredients  as 
railroad  -  cars,  steamboats,  and  hotels  be  dashed 
into  the  pleasing  mixture  of  their  new  lives  ?  It 
had  been  arranged  that  for  a  year  or  two,  at 
least,  they  should  live  in  Kate's  dear  old  home, 
and  why  should  they  not  immediately  begin  that 
life  there  ? 

Mr.  Archibald  did  not  favor  this  plan,  and  his 
wife  was  strongly  opposed  to  it.  A  wedding 
without  a  wedding-trip  ought  not  to  be  thought 
of. 

"During  the  honey -moon  a  young  couple 
should  live  for  each  other,  with  each  other,  apart 
from  the  rest  of  the  world.  It  is  a  beautiful  cus- 
tom, which  should  not  be  rudely  trampled  upon," 
said  Mrs.  Archibald. 

But  although  Mrs.  Archibald  cherished  a  belief 
that  she  ought  to  conform  her  ideas  to  the  do- 
mestic customs  of  the  day,  her  daughter  Kate 
cherished  the  belief  that  the  domestic  customs  of 
the  day  ought  to  conform  themselves  to  her 
ideas. 

"  Of  course  we  should  like  to  be  alone  in  the 
honey-moon,"  she  exclaimed.  "  We  don't  object 

3 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

to  that ;  and  if  there  must  be  a  wedding-journey, 
you  and  father  can  take  it  and  we  will  stay  here. 
Here  are  servants,  books,  things  to  eat,  and  ev- 
erything our  hearts  can  desire,  and  here  we 
would  really  feel  as  if  we  were  beginning  life  as 
man  and  wife.  As  for  you  two,  you  both  need  a 
vacation,  and  nothing  could  be  more  perfectly 
appropriate  and  more  delightful  to  everybody 
than  that  you  should  take  our  wedding-trip.  We 
don't  want  it ;  we  will  make  it  a  present  to  you. 
Take  it  and  be  happy,  and  leave  us  here  to  be 
happy.  People  have  done  this  sort  of  thing  be- 
fore, so  that  it  is  not  absolutely  wild  and  un- 
heard of," 

Mr.  Archibald  welcomed  this  plan  with  open 
arms,  and  hugged  it  and  his  daughter  to  his 
breast.  It  suited  him  admirably,  and  he  declared 
that  all  business  and  engagements  of  every  kind 
should  be  set  aside,  and  that  he  would  be  ready 
to  start  on  the  wedding-journey  with  Mrs.  Arch- 
ibald the  moment  the  ceremony  should  be  com- 
pleted. 

"  You  will  wait  until  the  reception  is  over,  fa- 
ther ?"  said  Kate,  laughing. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "I  will  wait  for  that." 

This  novel  proposition  sent  a  chill  through 
every  fibre  of  Mrs.  Archibald's  physical  organ- 
ism. At  first  she  did  not  exactly  comprehend  it, 
but  when  she  did,  the  chills  increased.  When 
she  had  recovered  herself  a  little  she  began  to 
make  objections.  This  was  easy  enough,  for  they 
crowded  into  her  mind  like  sheep  into  a  pen  ;  but 
every  objection,  as  she  brought  it  forth,  was 
ruthlessly  set  aside  or  crushed  to  earth  by  her 

4 


DAWN    OF    A   WEDDING-JOURNEY 

daughter  or  her  husband,  assisted  by  her  expect- 
ant son-in-law,  of  whom  she  declared  she  never 
would  have  believed  such  a  thing  had  she  been 
told  it. 

The  discussion  ended,  of  course,  by  Mrs.  Arch- 
ibald agreeing  to  go  on  this  absurd  wedding- 
journey.  But  the  good  lady's  mental  troubles 
were  not  over  when  she  had  given  her  consent. 
As  this  scheme  had  been  devised  by  those  dearest 
to  her  on  earth,  and  as  it  was  certain,  these  dear- 
est persons  assured  her,  to  meet  with  the  appro- 
bation of  all  people  of  advanced  thought — at  least 
of  those  whose  thought  had  advanced  far  enough 
to  make  it  worthy  of  their  consideration — she 
felt  that  in  doing  her  part  she  ought  to  do  it 
honestly  and  with  her  whole  heart ;  and  at  her 
time  of  life,  to  act  as  a  proxy  for  a  young  bride 
by  taking  a  wedding-journey  in  that  young  bride's 
place  was  a  very  difficult  thing  for  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald to  do  honestly  and  with  her  whole  heart. 
But  she  would  try  to  do  it.  Whatever  else  hap- 
pened, her  family  must  be  kept  happy,  and  it 
should  never  be  said  of  her  that  she  hung  like  a 
millstone  around  the  combined  neck  of  that 
family  when  it  was  unitedly  climbing  tow- 
ards altitudes  of  felicity,  which,  although  she 
was  not  able  to  discern  them,  must  exist,  since 
that  fact  had  been  so  earnestly  insisted  upon 
by  Mr.  Archibald,  Kate,  and  Rodney  Bring- 
hurst. 

Thus  was  this  exceptional  hymeneal  perform- 
ance decided  upon,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  on 
Wednesday,  the  6th  of  June,  the  marriage  service 
was  performed.  At  noon  the  guests  sat  down 

5 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

to  breakfast,  and  at  two  o'clock  that  afternoon 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hector  Archibald  departed  on  the 
wedding-trip,  leaving  behind  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bring- 
hurst  at  home  with  each  other,  and  "  not  at  home  " 
to  the  world. 


CHAPTER  II 
ENTER  MARGERY 

AT  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  June  6th  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hector  Archibald  arrived  at  a  family 
hotel  in  the  capital  of  their  state.  Where  they 
should  go  from  there  had  not  been  decided  upon. 
Nothing  in  regard  to  their  wedding-journey  had 
been  decided  upon  except  that  they  were  to  re- 
turn to  their  home  on  the  6th  of  July  of  that 
year,  and  not  before.  It  would  have  been  impos- 
sible, with  their  minds  filled  with  bridal  arrange- 
ments, for  them  to  make  plans  for  their  journey. 
But  at  this  first  stopping-place,  where  they  were 
free  from  all  responsibility  and  interruptions, 
they  could,  at  their  leisure,  decide  where  they 
should  go,  how  they  should  go,  and  what  they 
should  do  when  they  got  there. 

After  the  unrest  and  turmoil  of  their  own  home 
during  the  past  few  weeks,  the  quiet  and  repose 
of  this  city  hotel  were  delightful.  That  evening 
they  went  to  the  theatre,  and  after  the  perform- 
ance they  had  a  little  supper  at  a  restaurant. 

"  People  may  not  think  we  are  a  newly  married 
pair,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  as  he  poured  out  a 
glass  of  wine  for  his  wife,  "  but  it  is  not  impossi- 
ble that  they  may  see  we  know  how  to  enjoy  our- 
selves quite  as  much  as  if  we  were." 

7 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Archibald  procured  a 
number  of  railroad  maps,  time-tables,  circulars  of 
steamboat  excursions,  advertisements  of  moun- 
tain retreats  and  sea-side  resorts,  and  he  and  his 
wife  sat  down  to  study  these,  and  to  decide  upon 
a  destination  and  a  route.  After  an  hour  or  two 
of  indeterminate  examination  Mr.  Archibald  de- 
clared himself  a  little  tired,  and  proposed  that 
they  should  take  a  recess  from  their  labors  and 
go  and  call  upon  their  old  friends,  the  Stanley 
Dearborns. 

"  People  on  wedding-tours  do  not  make  calls," 
said  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"That  may  be  true,"  said  her  husband,  "in 
ordinary  cases,  and  although  I  do  not  care  to 
announce  to  everybody  the  peculiarities  of  the 
expedition  which  we  have  undertaken,  I  do  not 
mind  in  the  least  telling  the  Stanley  Dearborns 
all  about  it.  Stanley  himself  would  not  appre- 
ciate it ;  he  would  consider  it  absurd ;  but  then 
he  is  not  at  home  at  this  time  of  day,  and  Mrs. 
Dearborn  is  just  the  woman  to  enjoy  a  reform 
movement  of  this  sort.  Besides,  she  is  full  of 
ideas  about  everything,  and  she  may  propose 
some  good  place  for  us  to  go  to." 

Mrs.  Dearborn  was  at  home,  and  very  glad  to 
see  the  Archibalds.  She  was  a  woman  whose 
soul  was  in  touch  with  the  higher  education  of 
women — with  female  suffrage,  the  emancipation 
of  the  enslaved  mind  wherever  it  might  be  found, 
and  with  progress  generally.  She  was  a  member 
of  many  societies,  belonged  to  committees  without 
end,  wrote  reports  and  minutes  by  day  and  by 
night,  and  was  one  of  that  ever-increasing  class 

8 


ENTER    MARGERY 

of  good  people  who  continually  walk  forward  in 
order  that  their  weight  may  help  the  world  to 
turn  over. 

In  spite  of  her  principles  and  the  advanced 
position  of  her  thought,  Mrs.  Dearborn  actually 
leaned  back  in  her  chair  and  laughed  heartily 
when  she  learned  what  sort  of  a  journey  the 
Archibalds  were  taking.  In  this  merriment  Mr. 
Archibald  joined  with  great  glee. 

u  Ever  since  I  left  home,"  he  said,  "  I  have 
wanted  to  have  a  chance  for  a  good  laugh  at  this 
trip  we  are  taking.  It  is  the  most  delightful 
joke  I  have  ever  known." 

Mrs.  Archibald  could  not  help  smiling,  but  her 
brow  was  clouded.  "  If  this  expedition  is  merely 
a  joke,"  she  said,  "  I  do  not  think  we  should  have 
undertaken  it ;  but  if  it  is  an  earnest  assertion  of 
our  belief  that  there  should  be  a  change  in  the 
customs  of  society,  then  I  think  we  should  take 
it  seriously,  and  I  see  nothing  to  laugh  at." 

"  My  dear  Harriet,"  said  Mrs.  Dearborn,  "  we 
can  be  good  and  glad  at  the  same  time  ;  and  that 
is  what  I  am,  I  am  sure.  What  you  are  doing  is 
the  initiation  of  one  of  the  most  worthy  reforms 
of  the  day,  and  if  it  should  have  an  effect  in 
breaking  up  that  wretched  custom  of  the  bridal 
tramp,  which  is  considered  so  necessary  in  this 
country,  society  should  rise  up  and  call  you 
blessed.  But  it  is  funny,  for  all  that.  I  am  sure 
that  the  first  woman  who  dared  to  go  without 
crinoline  was  very  funny,  and  when  I  heard  of  a 
hospital  for  cats  I  could  not  help  laughing  ;  but  I 
believed  in  it,  and  worked  for  it.  And  now  where 
are  you  going  ?" 

9 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  That  is  what  we  want  to  talk  to  you  about," 
said  Mr.  Archibald  ;  and  for  half  an  hour  they 
talked  about  it. 

At  the  end  of  that  time  it  was  decided  that  the 
mountains  were  better  than  the  sea  or  than  a 
quiet  lowland  nook  ;  and  Mrs.  Dearborn  strong- 
ly recommended  Sadler's,  where  she  and  her  hus- 
band had  spent  a  part  of  a  summer  a  few  years 
before. 

"We  camped  out,"  said  she,  "and  had  a  fine 
time.  You  can  camp  out  at  Sadler's  more  easi- 
ly and  satisfactorily  than  anywhere  else  in  the 
world." 

Camping  suited  Mr.  Archibald  admirably,  and, 
to  his  surprise,  his  wife  said  she  might  like  it  very 
well. 

"  If  people  are  going  to  laugh  at  us,"  she  said, 
"when  they  find  out  we  are  on  a  wedding- journey 
— and  they  will  be  sure  to  find  it  out  in  some  way 
or  other — I  think  the  fewer  people  we  mingle  with 
the  better.  I  do  not  think  I  shall  like  camping 
altogether,  but  I  know  it  is  healthful,  and  I  sup- 
pose I  ought  to  get  used  to  it.  It  would  be  dread- 
fully lonely  for  just  Mr.  Archibald  and  me,  but  I 
suppose  we  can  take  some  one  with  us  to  guide 
and  cook." 

"  My  dear  Harriet,"  said  Mrs.  Dearborn,  "  if  you 
are  at  Sadler's,  you  can  go  into  any  sort  of  camp 
you  please.  I  will  tell  you  all  about  Sadler's. 
Sadler  is  a  man  of  progress.  His  hotel  or  inn  is 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  forest  country,  and  away 
from  all  the  centres  of  resort.  He  calls  his  place 
the  terminal  link  of  public  travel  in  that  direction. 
When  you  leave  him  you  travel  privately  in  any 
10 


ENTER    MARGERY 

way  you  like.  He  has  established  what  he  has 
named  a  bureau  of  camping,  and  he  furnishes  his 
patrons  with  any  sort  of  a  camp  they  may  desire. 
If  the  party  is  few  in  number  and  of  a  timid  dis- 
position, they  can  have  a  camp  within  shouting 
distance  of  his  house.  If  they  are  brave  and  ad- 
venturous, he  will  send  them  out  into  the  depths 
of  the  forest.  If  they  like  water,  he  locates  them 
by  the  shores  of  a  lake.  If  climbing  is  their 
passion,  he  puts  them  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain- 
Those  who  want  to  hunt  can  do  so,  and  those  who 
dislike  fire-arms  are  placed  in  a  camp  where  the 
popping  of  guns  is  never  heard.  He  provides 
tents,  guides,  provisions,  and  even  dangers  and 
sensations." 

"  Safety  is  what  I  want,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Arch- 
ibald. 

"  And  that  he  furnishes,"  said  the  other,  "  for 
those  who  desire  it." 

"Sadler  is  the  man  for  me  !"  cried  Mr.  Archi- 
bald. "  We  will  go  to  him,  look  over  his  list  of 
camps,  and  select  one  to  suit  us." 

"  By-the-way,"  said  Mrs.  Dearborn,  "  a  thought 
has  struck  me.  How  would  you  like  to  take  Mar- 
gery with  you  ?" 

"Margery!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Archibald.  "That 
delightful  little  girl  whom  I  taught  to  ride  a  tri- 
cycle when  you  were  visiting  us  ?  I  would  like  it 
ever  so  much." 

It  struck  Mrs.  Archibald  that  people  on  bridal 
trips  did  not  generally  take  children  or  young 
girls  with  them,  but  it  also  struck  her  that  if  they 
were  going  into  camp  it  might  be  pleasant  and  in 
many  ways  advantageous  to  have  some  one  of 

ii 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

her  own  sex  with  her ;  but  she  had  no  time  to 
formulate  these  advantages  in  her  mind  before 
Mrs.  Dearborn  explained  in  full. 

"  Since  Mr.  Dearborn  and  I  came  home  from  Sad- 
ler's," she  said,  "  Margery  has  been  perfectly  wild 
to  go  there,  and  as  soon  as  the  leaves  began  to 
bud  in  the  parks  she  began  to  talk  about  it. 
We  saw  no  possible  chance  of  her  going  there,  for 
her  father  is  too  busy  to  leave  home  for  any 
length  of  time  this  season,  and  I  cannot  go  to 
the  mountains  this  year,  for  I  must  visit  my 
sister,  who  is  not  well,  and  there  are  three  sum- 
mer conventions  that  I  am  obliged  to  attend. 
But  if  you  could  take  her  with  you,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve she  would  trouble  you  in  the  least,  and  you 
would  give  her  great  pleasure.  Moreover,  to 
speak  practically,  which  I  think  we  always  ought 
to  do,  it  would  not  be  a  bad  thing  on  the  score  of 
economy,  for  things  are  always  proportionately 
cheaper  for  three  people  in  a  camp  than  for  two." 

A  great  many  advantages  of  female  compan- 
ionship now  began  to  creep  into  Mrs.  Archibald's 
mind :  if  her  husband  should  take  it  into  his  head 
to  go  out  and  hunt  at  night  by  the  light  of  a 
torch  ;  if  there  should  be  thunder-storms,  and  he 
away  with  the  guide  ;  if  he  should  want  to  go  off 
and  talk  to  Indians  or  trappers,  and  he  always  did 
want  to  go  off  and  talk  to  people  of  every  class — 
it  would  be  very  pleasant  to  have  even  Margery 
Dearborn  with  her.  So  she  consented  with  great 
good -will  to  her  friend's  proposition,  and  Mrs. 
Dearborn  was  much  pleased  and  thankful. 

"  Margery  is  a  true  creature  of  impulse,"  she 
said  ;  "  that  is  really  her  predominating  charac- 

12 


ENTER    MARGERY 

teristic,  and  she  will  want  to  bound  to  the  ceiling 
when  she  hears  she  is  to  go  to  Sadler's.  She  is 
not  at  home  now,  but  she  will  be  in  very  soon. 
You  must  take  luncheon  with  us." 

About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  that  Margery 
Dearborn  came  home.  She  was  very  glad  indeed 
to  see  the  Archibalds,  whom  she  remembered  as 
the  kindest  of  people  ;  and  when  she  heard  they 
were  going  to  take  her  to  Sadler's,  she  gave  a 
scream  of  delight  and  threw  herself  upon  Mrs. 
Archibald's  neck. 

"  You  are  an  angel,"  she  cried,  "  an  angel  of 
blessedness,  my  dear  Aunt  Harriet !  Don't  you 
remember,  I  used  to  call  you  that?  Won't  you 
let  me  call  you  so  still  ?"  And  without  waiting 
for  an  answer,  she  rushed  to  Mr.  Archibald,  with 
outstretched  hands.  "  Dear  Uncle  Archibald,  you 
are  just  as  good  as  ever,  I  see.  You  know,  I 
wouldn't  call  you  Uncle  Hector,  because  hector- 
ing meant  scolding,  which  never  had  anything 
to  do  with  you.  Sadler's !  Oh,  when  do  we 
start  ?" 

"  To-morrow  is  Saturday,"  replied  Mr.  Archi- 
bald; "we  must  get  together  some  things  we 
will  need  for  camp-life,  and  we  can  start  on  Mon- 
day." 

When  the  visitors  were  left  to  themselves  for 
a  few  moments,  Mr.  Archibald  said  to  his  wife, 
"  Harriet,  I  am  astounded.  This  girl,  who  used 
to  ride  bareback  and  jump  over  fences,  is  a  young 
lady  now,  and  a  handsome  one,  too.  She  is  quite 
a  different  person  from  the  girl  I  agreed  to  take 
with  us." 

"  Mr.  Archibald,"  said  his  wife,  "  you  never  can 
13 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

remember  that  in  this  world  people  of  all  ages 
grow  older.  She  was  fourteen  when  she  was  vis- 
iting us,  and  that  was  four  years  ago,  so  of  course 
she  is  a  young  lady." 

"  No,"  he  answered,  "  I  don't  feel  that  I  am 
growing  any  older,  and  I  don't  see  that  you  are, 
and  so  I  totally  forget  that  proclivity  in  other 
people.  But  what  do  you  think  now?  Can  we 
take  this  young  woman  with  us  to  camp  ?  Will 
she  not  be  a  dreadful  drag  ?" 

"  My  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  I  much  prefer 
the  young  lady  to  the  girl.  I  don't  want  to  be 
the  only  woman  in  camp,  and  the  nearer  the  other 
woman  is  to  my  age  the  better." 

"All  right,"  said  Mr.  Archibald;  "if  you  are 
satisfied,  I  am  ;  and,  if  she  will  agree  to  it,  we  will 
add  our  ages  for  the  time  being,  and  divide  by 
three,  and  then  we  will  all  stand  on  a  level." 


CHAPTER  III 

SADLER'S 

IT  was  in  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  the  nth  of 
June,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald,  accompanied 
by  Miss  Margery  Dearborn,  arrived  at  Sadler's, 
and  with  feelings  of  relief  alighted  from  the 
cramped  stage  -  coach  which  had  brought  them 
eight  miles  from  the  railroad  station. 

"  Can  this  be  Sadler's?"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  in 
a  tone  of  surprise. 

"  Of  course  it  must  be,"  said  his  wife,  "  since 
they  brought  us  here." 

"  It  certainly  is  the  place,"  said  Margery,  "  for 
there  is  the  name  over  that  door." 

"  How  do  you  feel  about  it  ?"  said  Mr.  Archi- 
bald to  his  wife. 

"I  feel  very  well  about  it,"  said  she.  "Why 
shouldn't  I?" 

"  How  do  you  feel  about  it  ?"  he  asked  of  the 
younger  lady. 

"Well,"  she  answered,  "  I  don't  exactly  under- 
stand it.  I  had  visions  of  forests  and  wilds  and 
tumbling  mountain  streams  and  a  general  air  of 
primevalism,  and  I  am  surprised  to  see  this  fine 
hotel  with  piazzas,  and  croquet-grounds,  and  ten- 
nis-courts, and  gravelled  walks,  and  babies  in  their 
carriages,  and  elderly  ladies  carrying  sun-shades." 

15 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  But  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is  a  forest  be- 
hind it,"  said  Mr.  Archibald. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Margery,  a  little  dolefully,  "  it 
has  that  to  back  it  up." 

"  Don't  let  us  stand  here  at  the  bottom  of  the 
steps  talking,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald.  "  I  must 
say  I  am  very  agreeably  surprised." 

In  the  wide  hall  which  ran  through  the  middle 
of  the  hotel,  and  not  far  from  the  clerk's  desk, 
there  sat  a  large,  handsome  man,  a  little  past 
middle  age,  who,  in  a  hearty  voice,  greeted  the 
visitors  as  they  entered,  but  without  rising  from 
his  chair.  This  was  Peter  Sadler,  the  owner  of 
the  hotel,  the  legal  owner  of  a  great  deal  of  the 
neighboring  country,  and  the  actual  ruler  of 
more  of  said  country  than  could  be  easily  marked 
out  upon  a  map  or  stated  in  surveyors'  terms. 

In  fact,  Peter  Sadler,  was  king  of  that  portion 
of  the  vast  district  of  mountain  and  forest  which 
could  be  reached  in  a  day's  journey  in  any  direc- 
tion. If  he  had  wished  to  extend  his  domain  to 
points  at  a  greater  distance  than  this  he  would 
have  done  so,  but  so  far  he  was  satisfied  with  the 
rights  he  had  asserted.  He  ruled  supreme  in 
that  region  because  he  had  lived  longer  in  the 
vicinity  than  any  other  white  man,  because  he 
had  a  powerful  will  which  did  not  brook  opposi- 
tion, and  because  there  was  no  one  to  oppose 
him. 

On  the  arable  land  which  lay  outside  of  the 
forest,  and  which  really  belonged  to  him,  there 
were  the  houses  of  the  men  who  farmed  his 
fields,  and  on  the  outskirts  of  the  woods  were 
scattered  here  and  there  the  cabins  of  the  hunt- 
16 


SADLER'S 

ers  and  guides  he  employed,  and  these  men  knew 
no  law  but  his  will.  Of  course  the  laws  of  the 
State  covered  the  district,  but  such  promulga- 
tion and  enforcement  of  these  as  he  might  con- 
sider necessary  were  generally  left  to  Peter  Sad- 
ler, and  as  to  his  own  laws,  he  was  always  there 
to  see  that  these  were  observed. 

His  guests  submitted  themselves  to  his  will,  or 
they  left  his  hotel  very  soon.  To  people  of  dis- 
cernment and  judgment  it  was  not  difficult  to 
submit  to  the  will  of  this  full  -  bearded,  broad- 
chested  man,  who  knew  so  much  better  than  they 
did  what  they  ought  to  do  if  they  wanted  to  get 
all  the  good  out  of  Sadler's  which  they  were  capa- 
ble of  assimilating. 

This  man,  who  sat  all  day  in  a  big  rolling-chair, 
and  who  knew  everything  that  was  going  on  in 
the  hotel,  the  farm,  and  the  forest  about  him, 
had  been  a  hunter  and  a  guide  in  his  youth,  an 
Indian-fighter  in  later  years,  and  when  he  had 
been  wounded  in  both  legs,  so  that  it  was  impos- 
sible for  him  ever  to  walk  again,  he  came  back  to 
the  scenes  of  his  youth  and  established  an  inn  for 
sportsmen  —  a  poor  little  house  at  first,  which 
grew  and  grew  and  grew,  until  it  was  the  large, 
well-kept  hotel  so  widely  known  by  his  name. 

After  dinner,  at  which  meal  they  were  waited 
upon  by  women,  and  not  by  men  in  evening-dress 
as  Margery  had  begun  to  fear,  Mr.  Archibald 
sought  Peter  Sadler  and  made  known  to  him  the 
surprise  of  his  party  at  finding  themselves  in  this 
fine  hotel. 

"  What  did  you   expect  ?"  asked  Peter,  eying 
him  from  head  to  foot. 
B  17 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  From  what  we  had  heard,"  replied  the  other, 
"  we  supposed  we  should  find  some  sort  of  a  pre- 
paratory camping  -  ground  in  the  woods,  from 
which  we  could  go  out  and  have  a  camp  of  our 
own." 

"  That's  just  what  you  have  found,"  said  Sadler. 
"  In  this  house  you  prepare  to  camp,  if  you  need 
preparation.  If  any  man,  woman,  or  child  comes 
here  and  wants  to  go  out  to  camp,  and  I  see  that 
they  are  sickly  or  weak  or  in  any  way  not  fit  to 
live  in  the  woods,  I  don't  let  them  go  one  step 
until  they  are  fit  for  it.  The  air  and  the  food 
and  the  water  they  get  here  will  make  them  fit, 
if  anything  will  do  it,  and  if  these  three  things 
don't  set  them  up  they  simply  have  to  go  back 
where  they  came  from.  They  can't  go  into  camp 
from  this  house.  But  if  they  fancy  this  hotel — 
and  there  isn't  any  reason  why  anybody  shouldn't 
fancy  it — they  can  stay  here  as  long  as  they  like, 
and  I'll  take  care  of  them.  Now,  sir,  if  you  want 
to  go  into  camp,  the  first  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to 
bring  your  family  here  and  let  me  take  a  look  at 
them.  I've  seen  them,  of  course,  but  I  haven't 
made  up  my  mind  yet  whether  they  are  the  right 
sort  for  camp  life.  As  for  you,  I  think  you  will 
do.  There  isn't  much  of  you,  but  you  look 
tough." 

Mr.  Archibald  laughed.  "  That's  good  rough 
talk,"  he  said,  "and  smacks  more  of  camp  life  than 
anything  I  have  noticed  here.  I  will  go  and  bring 
my  wife  and  Miss  Dearborn." 

"There  is  another  reason  why  I  want  to  see 
them,"  said  the  bluff  Peter.  "As  you  are  bent  on 
camping,  you'll  like  to  choose  a  camp,  and  when 
18 


SADLER'S 

anything  of  that  kind  is  on  hand  I  want  to  talk 
to  the  whole  party.  I  don't  care  to  settle  the 
business  with  one  of  them,  and  then  have  him 
come  back  and  say  that  what  has  been  agreed 
upon  don't  suit  the  others.  I  want  a  full  meet- 
ing or  no  session." 

When  Mr.  Archibald  returned  with  his  wife  and 
Margery,  he  found  Peter  Sadler  had  rolled  his 
chair  up  to  a  large  circular  table  at  the  back  of 
the  hall,  on  which  was  spread  a  map  of  the  forest. 
He  greeted  the  ladies  in  a  loud  voice  and  with  a 
cheery  smile. 

"And  so  you  want  to  go  camping,  do  you  ?"  said 
he.  "  Sit  down  and  let  us  talk  it  over.  I  think 
the  young  lady  is  all  right.  She  looks  spry 
enough,  and  I  expect  she  could  eat  pine-cones 
like  a  squirrel  if  she  was  hungry  and  had  noth- 
ing else.  As  for  you,  madam,  you  don't  appear 
as  if  anything  in  particular  was  the  matter  with 
you,  and  I  should  think  you  could  stand  a  Num- 
ber Three  camp  well  enough,  and  be  all  the  bet- 
ter for  a  week  or  two  of  it." 

"  What  is  a  Number  Three  camp  ?"  asked  Mar- 
gery, before  the  astonished  Mrs.  Archibald  could 
speak. 

"  Well,"  said  Sadler,  "  it  is  a  camp  with  a  good 
deal  of  comfort  in  it.  Our  Number  One  camps 
are  pretty  rough.  They  are  for  hunters  and 
scientific  people.  We  give  them  game  enough 
in  season,  and  some  bare  places  where  they  can 
make  fires  and  stretch  a  bit  of  canvas.  That  is 
all  they  want,  to  have  a  truly  good  time.  That 
is  the  best  camp  of  all,  I  think.  Number  Two 
camps  are  generally  for  fishermen.  They  always 
19 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

want  a  chance  for  pretty  good  living  when  they 
are  out  in  the  woods.  They  stay  in  camp  in  the 
evenings,  and  like  to  sit  around  and  have  a  good 
time.  Number  Threes  are  the  best  camps  we  put 
families  into,  so  you  see,  madam,  I'm  rating  you 
pretty  high.  There's  always  a  log-cabin  in  these 
camps,  with  cots  and  straw  mattresses  and  plenty 
of  traps  for  cooking.  And,  more  than  that,  there 
is  a  chance  for  people  who  don't  tramp  or  fish 
to  do  things,  such  as  walking  or  boating,  accord- 
ing to  circumstances.  There's  one  of  our  camps 
has  a  croquet-ground." 

"Oh,  we  don't  want  that !"  cried  Margery,  "it 
would  simply  ruin  every  illusion  that  is  left  to  me." 

"Glad  to  hear  that,"  said  Peter.  "If  you  want 
to  play  croquet,  stay  at  the  hotel ;  that's  what  I 
say.  Now,  then,  here  are  the  camps,  and  there's 
plenty  of  them  to  choose  from.  You've  come  in 
a  good  time,  for  the  season  isn't  fairly  begun 
yet.  Next  month  every  camp  will  be  full,  with 
the  hotel  crowded  with  people  waiting  for  their 
turns." 

"What  we  want,"  said  Margery,  rising  and 
looking  over  the  map,  "  is  the  wildest  Number 
Three  you  have." 

"  Oh,  ho  !"  said  Peter.  "  Not  so  fast,  miss  ; 
perhaps  we'll  wait  and  see  what  this  lady  has  to 
say  first.  If  I'm  not  mistaken,  madam,  I  think 
you're  inclined  the  other  way,  and  I  don't  put 
people  into  camps  that  they  will  be  wanting  to 
leave  after  the  first  rainy  day.  Now  let  me  show 
you  what  I've  got.  Here  is  one,  four  hours'  walk, 
horses  for  women,  with  a  rocky  stream  through 
the  middle  of  it." 

20 


SADLER'S 

"  That  is  grand  !"  cried  Margery.  "Is  it  really 
in  the  woods  ?" 

"  Now  let  me  do  the  talking,"  said  Peter.  "  They 
are  all  in  the  woods  ;  we  don't  make  camps  in 
pasture-fields.  Even  the  Number  Sevens,  where 
the  meals  are  sent  to  the  campers  from  the  hotel, 
and  they  have  bath-tubs,  are  in  the  woods.  Now 
here  is  another  one,  about  three  miles  west  from 
the  one  I  just  showed  you,  but  the  same  distance 
from  here.  This,  you  see,  is  on  the  shore  of  a 
lake,  with  fishing,  boating,  and  bathing,  if  you 
can  stand  cold  water." 

"  Glorious  !"  cried  Margery.  "  That  is  exactly 
what  we  want.  A  lake  will  be  simply  heavenly  !" 

"  Everything  seems  to  suit  you,  miss,"  said 
Peter,  "  just  as  soon  as  you  hear  of  it.  But  sup- 
pose we  consider  more  of  them  before  you  choose. 
Some  two  miles  north  of  here,  in  the  thickest  of 
the  forest,  in  a  clearing  that  I  made,  there  is 
a  small  camp  that  strikes  the  fancy  of  some  peo- 
ple. There  is  a  little  stream  there  and  it  has 
fish  in  it  too,  and  it  runs  through  one  corner  of 
the  log-cabin,  so  there  are  seven  or  eight  feet  of 
the  stream  inside  the  house,  and  on  rainy  days 
you  can  sit  there  and  fish  ;  and  some  people  like 
to  go  to  sleep  with  the  running  water  gurgling 
close  to  them  where  they  can  hear  it  when  they 
are  in  bed.  Then  there's  an  owl  to  this  camp. 
The  men  heard  him  there  wh'en  they  were  mak- 
ing the  clearing,  and  he's  never  left  the  spot. 
Some  people  who  were  out  there  said  they  never 
felt  as  much  away  from  the  world  as  they  did 
listening  to  that  little  stream  gurgling  and  that 
owl  hooting." 

21 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  I  believe,"  exclaimed  Margery,  "  that  in  a 
place  like  that  I  could  write  poetry  !" 

"  It  would  give  me  the  rheumatism  and  the 
blues,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  upon  which  Peter 
Sadler  exclaimed, 

"  That  settles  that.  Now  then,  here  is  anoth- 
er." 

Several  other  camps  were  considered,  but  it 
was  the  general  conclusion  that  the  one  by  the 
lake  was  the  most  desirable.  It  had  a  good  cabin 
with  three  rooms,  with  plenty  of  open  space,  near 
by,  for  the  tents  of  the  guides  ;  there  was  a  boat 
which  belonged  to  the  camp,  and  in  every  way  it 
seemed  so  suitable  that  Mr.  Archibald  secured  it. 
He  thought  the  price  was  rather  high,  but  as  it 
included  guides,  provisions,  fishing-tackle,  and  in 
fact  everything  needed,  he  considered  that  al- 
though it  might  cost  as  much  as  lodgings  in  a 
city  hotel,  they  would  get  more  good  out  of  it. 

"  Has  this  camp  any  name  ?"  asked  the  enthu- 
siastic Margery,  in  the  course  of  the  conference. 

"That's  about  your  twenty-seventh  question, 
miss,"  said  Peter,  "but  it's  one  I  can  answer. 
Yes,  it's  got  a  name.  It's  called  Camp  Rob." 

"  Oh  !"  ejaculated  Margery,  in  a  disappointed 
tone.  "What  a  name!" 

"  Yes,"  said  Peter,  "  it  isn't  much  of  a  name. 
The  first  people  who  went  out  there  named  it 
that,  and  it  stuck  to  it,  and  it's  all  it's  got. 
Camps  are  like  horses  —  we've  got  to  tell  them 
apart,  and  so  we  give  them  names,  and  that's 
Camp  Rob." 


CHAPTER  IV 
A   CATARACT    OF    INFORMATION 

PETER  SADLER  would  have  been  glad  to  have 
the  Archibald  party  stay  at  his  hotel  for  a  few 
days,  and  Mrs.  Archibald  would  have  been  per- 
fectly satisfied  to  remain  there  until  they  were 
ready  to  return  to  their  own  house,  but  her  hus- 
band and  Margery  were  impatient  to  be  in  the 
woods,  and  it  was  therefore  decided  to  start  for 
the  camp  the  next  day.  Peter  Sadler  was  a  man 
of  system,  and  his  arrangements  were  made 
promptly  and  rapidly. 

"You've  got  to  have  a  guide,"  said  he,  "and 
another  man  to  help  him,  and  I  think  I'll  give 
you  Phil  Matlack.  Phil  is  an  old  hand  at  the 
business,  and  if  you  don't  know  what  you  want, 
he'll  tell  you.  If  you  are  in  Phil's  hands,  you 
needn't  be  afraid  anything  will  happen  to  you. 
Whatever  you  want,  ask  him  for  it,  and  ten  to 
one  he'll  have  it,  whether  it's  information  or  fish- 
hooks. I  tell  you  again,  you're  lucky  to  be  here 
early  and  get  the  best  of  everything.  Camp  Rob 
with  Phil  Matlack  will  stand  at  a  premium  in 
three  or  four  weeks  from  now." 

That  evening  after  supper  Mr.  Archibald  lighted 
a  cigar  and  went  out  into  the  grounds  in  front  of 
the  hotel,where  he  was  presently  joined  by  his  wife. 
23 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  Where  is  Margery  ?"  asked  he. 

"  She  is  in  her  room,"  replied  Mrs.  Archibald, 
"  but  she  called  to  me  that  she  would  be  down  di- 
rectly." 

In  about  ten  minutes  down  came  Margery  and 
floated  out  upon  the  lawn.  She  was  dressed  in 
white,  with  flowers  in  her  hair,  and  she  was  more 
charming,  Mr.  Archibald  said,  as  she  approached, 
than  even  the  sunset  sky. 

"  You  should  not  speak  in  that  way  of  works  of 
nature,"  said  his  wife. 

"  Isn't  she  a  work  of  nature  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Not  altogether,"  was  the  wise  reply.  "  Why 
did  you  dress  yourself  in  that  fashion  ?"  she  asked 
Margery.  "  I  did  not  suppose  you  would  bring 
such  a  fine  gown,  as  we  started  out  to  go  into 
camp.  And  even  in  this  hotel  a  travelling -suit 
is  good  enough  for  any  one." 

"  Oh,  I  tucked  this  into  one  of  my  bags,"  replied 
Margery.  "  I  always  like  to  have  something  nice 
to  fall  back  upon.  Don't  you  want  to  take  a  little 
stroll,  Aunt  Harriet  ?" 

Mr.  Archibald  leaned  back  in  his  garden-chair 
and  slowly  puffed  his  cigar,  and  as  he  puffed  he 
took  his  eyes  from  the  sunset  sky  and  watched^ 
his  wife  and  Margery. 

A  little  beyond  them,  as  they  walked,  sat  two 
elderly  ladies  on  a  bench,  wearing  shawls,  and 
near  by  stood  a  girl  in  a  short  dress,  with  no  hat 
on,  and  a  long  plait  down  her  back.  A  little 
farther  on  was  a  tennis-court,  and  four  people, 
apparently  young,  were  playing  tennis.  There 
were  two  men,  and  neither  of  them  wore  a  tennis- 
suit.  One  was  attired  as  a  bicyclist,  and  the  other 
24 


A   CATARACT   OF    INFORMATION 

wore  ordinary  summer  clothes.  The  young  wom- 
en were  dressed  in  dark  -  blue  flannel  and  little 
round  hats,  which  suggested  to  Mr.  Archibald 
the  deck  of  a  yacht. 

Near  the  hotel  was  an  elderly  gentleman  walk- 
ing up  and  down  by  himself,  and  on  the  piazza. 
were  the  rest  of  the  guests  he  had  seen  at  the 
table ;  not  very  many  of  them,  for  it  was  early  in 
the  season. 

Mr.  Archibald  now  turned  his  eyes  again  to  the 
sky.  It  was  still  beautiful,  although  its  colors 
were  fading,  and  after  a  time  he  looked  back 
towards  his  wife.  She  was  now  talking  to  the 
two  elderly  ladies  on  the  bench,  and  Margery  was 
engaged  in  conversation  with  the  girl  with  the 
plait  down  her  back. 

"  When  I  finish  my  cigar,"  thought  Mr.  Archi- 
bald, "I  will  go  myself  and  take  a  stroll."  And 
it  struck  him  that  he  might  talk  to  the  old  gen- 
tleman, who  was  still  walking  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  hotel.  After  contemplating  the  tops 
of  some  forest  trees  against  the  greenish-yellow 
of  the  middle  sky,  he  turned  his  eyes  again  tow- 
ards his  wife,  and  found  that  the  two  elderly 
ladies  had  made  room  for  her  on  the  bench,  that 
the  tennis-game  had  ceased,  and  that  one  of  the 
girls  in  blue  flannel  had  joined  this  group  and 
was  talking  to  Margery. 

In  a  few  moments  all  the  ladies  on  the  bench 
rose,  and  Mrs.  Archibald  and  one  of  them  walked 
slowly  towards  an  opening  in  the  woods.  The 
other  lady  followed  with  the  little  girl,  and  Mar- 
gery and  the  young  woman  in  blue  walked  in  the 
same  direction,  but  not  in  company  with  the  rest 
25 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

of  the  party.  The  two  young  men,  with  the 
other  tennis-player  between  them,  walked  over 
from  the  tennis-court  and  joined  the  first  group, 
and  they  all  stopped  just  as  they  reached  the 
woods.  There  they  stood  and  began  talking  to 
each  other,  after  which  one  of  the  young  men 
and  the  young  woman  approached  a  large  tree, 
and  he  poked  with  a  stick  into  what  was  probably 
a  hole  near  its  roots,  and  Mr.  Archibald  supposed 
that  the  discussion  concerned  a  snake-hole  or  a 
hornets'  nest.  Then  Margery  and  the  other 
young  woman  came  up,  and  they  looked  at  the 
hole.  Now  the  whole  company  walked  into  the 
woods  and  disappeared.  In  about  ten  minutes 
Mr.  Archibald  finished  his  cigar  and  was  think- 
ing of  following  his  wife  and  Margery,  when  the 
two  elderly  ladies  and  Mrs.  Archibald  came  out 
into  the  open  and  walked  towards  the  hotel. 
Then  came  the  little  girl,  running  very  fast  as 
she  passed  the  tree  with  the  hole  near  its  roots. 
In  a  few  minutes  Mrs.  Archibald  stopped  and 
looked  back  towards  the  woods  ;  then  she  walked 
a  little  way  in  that  direction,  leaving  her  com- 
panions to  go  to  the  hotel.  Now  the  young  man 
in  the  bicycle  suit  emerged  from  the  woods,  with 
a  girl  in  dark-blue  flannel  on  each  side  of  him. 

"  Upon  my  word  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Archibald, 
and  rising  to  his  feet,  advanced  towards  his  wife  ; 
but  before  he  reached  her,  Margery  emerged 
from  the  wood  road,  escorted  by  the  young  man 
in  the  summer  suit. 

"Upon  my  word,"  Mr.  Archibald  remarked, 
this  time  to  his  wife,  "that  ward  of  ours  is  not 
given  to  wasting  time." 

26 


A    CATARACT    OF    INFORMATION 

"  It  seems  so,  truly,"  said  she,  "  and  I  think  her 
mother  was  right  when  she  called  her  a  creature 
of  impulse.  Let  us  wait  here  until  they  come 
up.  We  must  all  go  in  ;  it  is  getting  chilly." 

In  a  few  minutes  Margery  and  the  young  man 
had  reached  them. 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  said  this  creature  of 
impulse  to  her  escort.  "  My  uncle  and  aunt  will 
take  care  of  me  now.  Aunt  Harriet  and  Uncle 
Archibald,  this  is  Mr.  Clyde.  He  saw  a  great 
snake  go  into  a  hole  over  there  just  before  sup- 
per-time, and  I  think  we  ought  all  to  be  very 
careful  how  we  pass  that  way." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  very  much  danger  after 
nightfall,"  said  Mr.  Clyde,  who  was  a  pleasant 
youth  with  brown  hair,  "and  to-morrow  I'll  see 
if  I  can  kill  him.  It's  a  bad  place  for  a  snake 
to  have  a  hole,  just  where  ladies  would  be  apt  to 
take  their  walks." 

"  I  don't  think  the  snake  will  trouble  us  much," 
said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "for  we  leave  to-morrow. 
Still,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  kill  it." 

After  this  there  were  a  few  remarks  made 
about  snakes,  and  then  Mr.  Clyde  bade  them 
good-evening. 

"  How  in  the  world,  Margery,"  said  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald, "did  you  get  acquainted  so  quickly  with 
that  young  man — and  who  is  he  ?" 

"  Oh,  it  all  happened  quite  naturally,"  said  she. 
"  As  we  turned  to  go  out  of  the  woods  he  was  the 
gentleman  nearest  to  me,  and  so  of  course  he 
came  with  me.  Those  two  girls  are  sisters,  and 
their  name  is  Dodworth.  They  introduced  Mr. 
Clyde  and  the  other  gentle'man,  Mr  Raybold,  to 
27 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

me.  But  that  was  after  you  had  been  talking  to 
Mrs.  Dodworth,  their  mother,  who  is  Mr.  Ray- 
bold's  aunt.  The  other  lady,  with  the  shawl  on, 
is  Mrs.  Henderson,  and — would  you  believe  it? — 
she's  grandmother  to  that  girl  in  the  short  dress ! 
She  doesn't  begin  to  look  old  enough.  The  Dod- 
worths  don't  go  into  camp  at  all,  but  expect  to 
stay  here  for  two  weeks  longer,  and  then  they  go 
to  the  sea -shore.  Mrs.  Henderson  leaves  day 
after  to-morrow. 

"Mr.  Clyde  and  his  friend  live  in  Boston. 
They  are  both  just  beginning  to  practise  law, 
though  Mr.  Clyde  says  that  Mr.  Raybold  would 
rather  be  an  actor,  but  his  family  objects.  The 
old  gentleman  who  is  walking  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  hotel  has  heart-disease,  some  people 
say — but  that  is  not  certain.  He  stayed  here  all 
last  summer,  and  perhaps  he  will  this  year.  In 
two  weeks  hardly  any  of  the  people  now  in  this 
hotel  will  be  here.  One  family  is  going  into 
camp  when  the  father  and  two  sons  come  on  to 
join  them,  and  the  rest  are  going  to  the  sea-shore, 
except  one  lady.  You  may  have  noticed  her — 
the  one  with  a  dark-purple  dress  and  a  little  pur- 
ple cap.  She's  a  school-teacher,  and  she  will 
spend  the  rest  of  the  summer  with  her  sister  in 
Pennsylvania. 

"  That  man  Phil  Matlack,  who  is  going  with  us 
to-morrow,  is  quite  a  character,  and  I  expect  I  shall 
like  him  awfully.  They  say  that  about  five  years 
/ago  he  killed  a  man  who  made  an  attack  on  him 
in  the  woods,  but  he  was  never  tried  for  it,  nor 
was  anything  whatever  done  to  him,  because  Mr. 
.Sadler  said  he  was  right,  and  he  would  not  have 

28 


A   CATARACT    OF    INFORMATION 

any  nonsense  about  it.  There  are  people  about 
here  who  believe  that  Phil  Matlack  would  fight  a 
bear  single-handed  if  it  happened  to  be  necessary. 
Mr.  Sadler  would  do  it  himself  if  he  could  walk. 
Nobody  knows  how  many  men  he  killed  when 
he  was  fighting  Indians ;  and,  would  you  believe 
it  ?  his  wife  is  a  plain,  little,  quiet  woman,  who 
lives  in  some  part  of  the  hotel  where  nobody  ever 
sees  her,  because  she  is  rather  bashful  and  dis- 
likes company. 

"  The  other  person  who  is  going  with  us  is  not 
very  much  more  than  a  boy,  though  they  say  he 
is  very  strong  and  a  good  hunter.  His  name  is 
Martin  Sanders,  and  I  forgot  to  say  that  the  old 
gentleman  with  the  heart-disease  is  named  Par- 
ker. 

"  It's  generally  thought  that  Phil  Matlack  would 
rather  have  some  one  else  than  Martin  Sanders 
to  go  with  him,  because  he  says  Martin  knows 
too  much.  The  fact  is  that  Martin  is  well  edu- 
cated, and  could  have  gone  into  some  good  busi- 
ness, but  he  was  so  fond  of  the  woods  that  he 
gave  up  everything  to  come  out  here  and  learn 
guiding.  You  know  we  were  told  that  our  camp 
in  the  woods  has  three  rooms  in  it  ?  Well,  it 
really  has  four,  for  there  was  an  artist  there  last 
year  who  built  a  little  room  for  a  studio  for  rainy 
days.  I  expect  Mr.  Sadler  forgot  that,  or  didn't 
think  it  worth  counting.  There  are  no  snakes  at 
all  where  we  are  going  to  camp,  but  two  miles 
farther  on  there  are  lots  of  them." 

"  Over  the  brink  of  Niagara,"  interjected  Mr. 
Archibald,  "  they  say  eighteen  million  cubic  feet 
of  water  pour  every  minute.     Where  on  earth, 
29 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Margery,  did  you  fill  your  mind  with  all  that  in- 
formation ?" 

"  I  got  it  from  those  two  Dodworth  girls  and 
Mr.  Clyde,"  said  she.  "Mr.  Raybold  told  me 
some  things,  too,  but  mostly  about  his  bicycle. 
He  feels  badly  about  it,  because  he  brought  it 
here,  and  now  he  finds  there  is  no  place  to  use  it. 
I  should  think  he  ought  to  have  known  that  the 
primeval  forest  isn't  any  place  for  a  bicycle." 

"  Mr.  Archibald,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  when 
they  had  retired  to  their  room,  "  I  did  not  agree 
with  you  when  you  wished  we  could  have  started 
for  camp  to-day,  but  now  I  am  quite  of  your  mind." 

Tuesday  was.  fine,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  the  Archibald  party  to  start  for  their  camp 
after  an  early  luncheon. 

The  bluff  and  hearty  Peter  took  such  an  inter- 
est in  everything  that  was  being  done  for  their 
comfort,  giving  special  heed  to  all  the  possible  re- 
quirements of  Mrs.  Archibald,  that  the  heart  of 
Mr.  Archibald  was  touched. 

"  I  wish,"  said  he  to  his  good  -  natured  host, 
"  that  you  were  going  with  us.  I  do  not  know 
any  one  I  would  rather  camp  with  than  you." 

"  If  I  could  do  it,"  replied  Peter,  "  I'd  like  it 
ever  so  well.  So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  make 
you  out,  you  are  the  sort  of  a  man  I'd  be  willing 
to  run  a  camp  for.  What  I  like  about  you  is  that 
you  haven't  any  mind  of  your  own.  There  is 
nothing  I  hate  worse  than  to  run  against  a  man 
with  a  mind  of  his  own.  Of  course  there  have  to 
be  such  fellows,  but  let  them  keep  away  from  me. 
There  is  no  room  here  for  more  than  one  mind, 
and  I  have  pre-empted  the  whole  section." 
30 


A   CATARACT    OF    INFORMATION 

Mr.  Archibald  laughed.  "  Your  opinion  of  me 
does  not  sound  very  complimentary,"  he  said. 

"It  is  complimentary!"  roared  Peter  Sadler, 
striking  the  table  with  his  fist.  "Why,  I  tell  you, 
sir,  I  couldn't  say  anything  more  commendable 
of  you  if  I  tried  !  It  shows  that  you  are  a  man 
of  common-sense,  and  that's  pretty  high  praise. 
Everything  I've  told  you  to  do  you've  done. 
Everything  I've  proposed  you've  agreed  to.  You 
see  for  yourself  that  I  know  what  is  better  for 
you  and  your  party  than  you  do,  and  you  stand 
up  like  a  man  and  say  so.  Yes,  sir  ;  if  a  rolling- 
chair  wasn't  as  bad  for  the  woods  as  the  bicycle 
that  Boston  chap  brought  down  here,  I'd  go  along 
with  you." 

Mr.  Archibald  had  a  very  sharp  sense  of  the 
humorous,  and  in  his  enjoyment  of  a  comical  sit- 
uation he  liked  company.  His  heart  was  stirred 
to  put  his  expedition  in  its  true  light  before  this 
man  who  was  so  honest  and  plain-spoken.  "  Mr. 
Sadler,"  said  he,  "  if  you  will  take  it  as  a  piece  of 
confidential  information,  and  not  intended  for 
the  general  ear,  I  will  tell  you  what  sort  of  a 
holiday  my  wife  and  I  are  taking.  We  are  on  a 
wedding- journey."  And  then  he  told  the  story 
of  the  proxy  bridal  tour. 

Peter  Sadler  threw  himself  back  in  his  chair 
and  laughed  with  such  great  roars  that  two  hunt- 
ing-dogs, who  were  asleep  in  the  hall,  sprang  to 
their  feet  and  dashed  out  of  the  back  door,  their 
tails  between  their  legs. 

"  By  the  Lord  Harry  !"  cried  Peter  Sadler, 
"  you  and  your  wife  are  a  pair  of  giants.  I  don't 
say  anything  about  that  young  woman,  for  I 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

don't  believe  it  would  have  made  any  difference 
to  her  whether  you  were  on  a  wedding-trip  or 
travelling  into  the  woods  to  bury  a  child.  I  tell 
you,  sir,  you  mayn't  have  a  mind  that  can  give 
out  much,  but  you've  got  a  mind  that  can  take  in 
the  biggest  kind  of  thing,  and  that  is  what  I  call 
grand.  It  is  the  difference  between  a  canyon  and 
a  mountain.  There  are  lots  of  good  mountains 
in  this  world,  and  mighty  few  good  canyons. 
Tom,  you  Tom,  come  here  !" 

In  answer  to  the  loud  call  a  boy  came  run- 
ning up. 

"  Go  into  my  room,"  said  Peter  Sadler,  "  and 
bring  out  a  barrel  bottle,  large  size,  and  one  of 
the  stone  jars  with  a  red  seal  on  it.  Now,  sir," 
said  he  to  Mr.  Archibald,  "  I  am  going  to  give  you 
a  bottle  of  the  very  best  whiskey  that  ever  a 
human  being  took  into  the  woods,  and  a  jar  of 
smoking-tobacco-  a  great  deal  too  good  for  any 
king  on  any  throne.  They  belong  to  my  private 
stock,  and  I  am  proud  to  make  them  a  present  to 
a  man  who  will  take  a  wedding-trip  to  save  his 
grown-up  daughter  the  trouble.  As  for  your  wife, 
there'll  be  a  basket  that  will  go  to  her  with  my 
compliments,  that  will  show  her  what  I  think  of 
her.  By-the-way,  sir,  have  you  met  Phil  Mat- 
lack  ?" 

"  No.  I  have  not  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Archibald, 
with  animation.  "  I  have  heard  something  about 
him,  and  before  we  start  I  should  like  to  see  the 
man  who  is  going  to  take  charge  of  us  in  camp.'' 

"  Well,  there  he  is,  just  passing  the  back  door. 
Hello,  Phil !  come  in  here." 

When  the  eminent  guide,  Phil  Matlack,  entered 
32 


A    CATARACT    OF    INFORMATION 

the  hall,  Mr.  Archibald  looked  at  him  with  some 
surprise,  for  he  was  not  the  conventional  tall, 
gaunt,  wiry,  keen-eyed  backwoodsman  who  had 
naturally  appeared  to  his  mental  vision.  This 
man  was  of  medium  height,  a  little  round-shoul- 
dered, dressed  in  a  gray  shirt,  faded  brown  trou- 
sers very  baggy  at  the  knees,  a  pair  of  conspicuous 
blue  woollen  socks,  and  slippers  made  of  carpet. 
His  short  beard  and  his  hair  were  touched  with 
gray,  and  he  wore  a  small  jockey  cap.  With  the 
exception  of  his  eyes,  Mr.  Matlack's  facial  feat- 
ures were  large,  and  the  expression  upon  them 
was  that  of  a  mild  and  generally  good-natured 
tolerance  of  the  world  and  all  that  is  in  it.  It 
may  be  stated  that  this  expression,  combined  with 
his  manner,  indicated  also  a  desire  on  his  part 
that  the  world  and  all  that  is  in  it  should  tolerate 
him.  Mr.  Archibald's  first  impressions  of  the 
man  did  not  formulate  themselves  in  these  terms; 
he  simply  thought  that  the  guide  was  a  slipshod 
sort  of  a  fellow. 

"  Phil,"  said  Mr.  Sadler,  "here  is  the  gentleman 
you  are  going  to  take  into  camp." 

"Glad  to  see  him,"  said  Matlack ;  "hope  he'll 
like  it." 

"And  I  want  to  say  to  you,  Phil,"  continued  Sad- 
ler," right  before  him,  that  he  is  a  first-class  man 
for  you  to  have  in  charge.  I  don't  believe  you 
ever  had  a  better  one.  He's  a  city  man,  and  it's 
my  opinion  he  don't  know  one  thing  about  hunt- 
ing, fishing,  making  a  camp-fire,  or  even  digging 
bait.  I  don't  suppose  he  ever  spent  a  night  out- 
side of  a  house,  and  doesn't  know  any  more  about 
the  weather  than  he  does  about  planting  cab- 
c  33 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

bages.  He's  just  clean,  bright,  and  empty,  like  a 
new  peach-basket.  What  you  tell  him  he'll  know, 
and  what  you  ask  him  to  do  he'll  do,  and  if  you 
want  a  better  man  than  that  to  take  into  camp, 
you  want  too  much.  That's  all  I've  got  to  say." 

Matlack  looked  at  Peter  Sadler  and  then  at 
Mr.  Archibald,  who  was  leaning  back  in  his  chair, 
his  bright  eyes  twinkling. 

"How  did  you  find  out  all  that  about  him  ?"  he 
asked. 

"  Humph  !"  exclaimed  Peter  Sadler.  "  Don't 
you  suppose  I  can  read  a  man's  character  when 
I've  had  a  good  chance  at  him  ?  Now  how  about 
the  stores — have  they  all  gone  on  ?" 

"  They  were  sent  out  ^arly  this  mornin',"  said 
Matlack,  "  and  we  can  start  as  soon  as  the  folks 
are  ready." 


CHAPTER    V 
CAMP    ROB 

IT  was  early  in  the  afternoon  when  the  Archi- 
bald party  took  up  the  line  of  march  for  Camp 
Rob.  The  two  ladies,  supplied  by  Mrs.  Sadler 
with  coarse  riding-skirts,  sat  each  upon  a  farm- 
horse,  and  Mr.  Archibald  held  the  bridle  of  the 
one  that  carried  his  wife.  Matlack  and  Martin 
Sanders,  the  young  man  who  was  to  assist  him, 
led  the  way,  while  a  led  horse,  loaded  with  the 
personal  baggage  of  the  travellers,  brought  up 
the  rear. 

Their  way  wound  through  a  forest  over  a  wood 
road,  very  rough  and  barely  wide  enough  for  the 
passage  of  a  cart.  The  road  was  solemn  and 
still,  except  where,  here  and  there,  an  open  space 
allowed  the  sunlight  to  play  upon  a  few  scattered 
wild  flowers  arid  brighten  the  sombre  tints  of  the 
undergrowth. 

After  a  ride  which  seemed  a  long  one  to  the 
ladies,  who  wished  they  had  attired  themselves  in 
walking-costume,  the  road  and  the  forest  suddenly 
came  to  an  end,  and  before  them  stretched  out 
the  waters  of  a  small  lake.  Camp  Rob  was  not 
far  from  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  for  some  dis- 
tance above  and  below  the  forest  stood  back  from 
the  water's  edge.  In  the  shade  of  a  great  oak- 

35 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

tree  there  stood  a  small  log-house,  rude  enough 
to  look  at,  but  moderately  comfortable  within, 
and  from  this  house  to  the  shore  a  wide  space 
was  cleared  of  bushes  and  undergrowth. 

The  lake  was  narrow  in  proportion  to  its  length, 
which  was  about  two  miles,  and  on  the  other  side 
the  forest  looked  like  a  solid  wall  of  green  re- 
flected in  the  water  beneath.  Even  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald, whose  aching  back  began  to  have  an  effect 
upon  her  disposition,  was  delighted  with  the 
beauty  of  the  scene,  which  delight  endured  until 
she  had  descended  from  her  horse  and  entered 
the  log-cabin  in  which  she  was  to  dwell  for  a 
time. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  describe  the  house,  nor 
is  it  necessary  to  dive  into  the  depths  of  Mrs. 
Archibald's  mind  as  she  gazed  about  her,  passing 
silently  from  room  to  room  of  the  little  house. 
She  was  a  good  woman,  and  she  had  made  up  her 
mind  that  she  would  not  be  a  millstone  around 
the  necks  of  her  companions.  Many  people  have 
been  happy  in  camps,  and,  indeed,  camp-life  has 
become  one  of  the  features  of  our  higher  civili- 
zation, and  this,  from  what  she  had  heard,  must 
be  a  camp  above  the  common.  So,  think  what 
she  might,  she  determined  to  make  no  open  com- 
plaint. If  it  were  possible  for  her  to  be  happy 
here,  she  would  be  happy. 

As  for  Margery,  no  determination  was  needed 
in  her  case.  Everything  was  better  than  she  had 
expected  to  find  it.  The  cabin,  with  the  bark 
on  almost  everything,  even  the  furniture,  was  just 
what  a  house  in  the  woods  ought  to  be  ;  and 
when  she  entered  the  little  studio,  which  was 
-  36 


CAMP   ROB 

nearer  allied  to  the  original  forest  than  any  other 
part  of  the  house,  she  declared  that  that  must  be 
her  room,  and  that  living  there  she  would  feel 
almost  like  a  dryad  in  an  oak. 

"You've  camped  out  before?"  said  Phil  Matlack 
to  Mr.  Archibald,  as  he  was  taking  a  survey  of 
the  scene. 

"Oh  yes,"  said  the  other,  "I've  been  out  a  few 
days  at  a  time  with  fishing-parties,  but  we  never 
had  such  a  fine  camp  as  this — so  well  located  and 
such  good  accommodations." 

"  You  are  a  fisherman,  then  ?"  said  the  guide. 

"  Yes.  I  am  very  fond  of  it.  I've  fished  ever 
since  I  was  a  boy,  and  know  a  good  deal  about 
bait,  in  spite  of  what  Mr.  Sadler  said." 

"  I  had  an  idea  of  that  sort,"  remarked  Phil, 
"  but  it  ain't  no  use  to  contradict  Peter.  It  helps 
keep  up  his  spirits  for  him  to  think  he  can  read 
the  characters  of  people  just  as  quick  as  he  can 
aim  a  rifle.  And  it's  a  mighty  important  thing 
to  keep  Peter's  spirits  up.  If  Peter's  spirits  was 
to  go  down,  things  round  here  would  flatten  out 
worse  than  a  rotten  punkin  when  it's  dropped." 

It  did  not  take  long  to  establish  the  new-com- 
ers in  their  woodland  quarters.  The  tent  for  the 
two  men,  which  had  arrived  in  the  morning,  was 
pitched  not  far  from  the  cabin,  and  then  Matlack 
and  Martin  went  to  work  to  prepare  supper.  The 
dining-room  in  pleasant  weather  was  the  small 
space  in  front  of  the  house,  where  there  was  a 
table  made  of  a  wide  board  supported  by  stakes, 
with  a  low  and  narrow  board  on  each  side,  also 
resting  on  stakes,  and  forming  seats. 

The  supper  was  a  better  one  and  better  served 
37 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

than  any  of  the  party  had  expected.     The  camp 
outfit  included  table-cloths,  and  even  napkins. 

"  To-morrow,"  said  Matlack,  as  he  brought  a 
dish  of  hot  and  savory  broiled  ham,  "  after  Mr. 
Archibald  gets  to  work,  we'll  have  some  fish." 

Mrs.  Archibald  had  been  a  little  fearful  that 
under  these  primitive  conditions  the  two  men 
might  expect  to  sit  at  the  table  with  them,  but 
she  need  have  had  no  such  fears.  Matlack  and 
Martin  cooked  and  waited  with  a  skill  and  deft- 
ness which  would  have  surprised  any  one  who  did 
not  reflect  that  this  was  as  much  their  business 
as  hunting  or  woodcraft. 

After  supper  a  camp-fire  was  built  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance from  the  house,  for  although  the  evening 
air  was  but  slightly  cool,  a  camp  without  a  camp- 
fire  would  not  be  a  camp.  The  party  ranged 
themselves  around  it,  Mrs.  Archibald  on  a  rug 
brought  from  the  cabin,  and  her  husband  and 
Margery  on  the  ground.  Mr.  Archibald  lighted 
his  pipe,  the  fire  lighted  the  trees  and  the  lake, 
and  joy  inexpressible  lighted  the  heart  of  Margery. 

"  If  I  could  smoke  a  pipe,"  said  she,  "  and  get 
Mr.  Matlack  to  come  here  and  tell  me  how  he 
killed  a  man,  I  should  be  perfectly  happy." 

That  night  Mrs.  Archibald  lay  awake  on  her 
straw  mattress.  Absolute  darkness  was  about 
her,  but  through  the  open  window  she  could  see, 
over  the  tops  of  the  trees  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake,  one  little  star. 

"  If  I  could  get  any  comfort  out  of  that  little 
star,"  thought  the  good  lady,  "  I  would  do  it ;  but 
I  can't  do  it,  and  there  is  nothing  else  to  comfort 
me." 

38 


CAMP    ROB 

On  the  other  side  of  the  room,  on  another  straw 
mattress,  she  could  hear  her  husband  breathing 
steadily.  Then,  upon  the  bare  boards  of  the  floor, 
which  were  but  a  few  inches  below  her  little  cot- 
bed,  she  thought  she  heard  the  patter  of  small 
feet.  A  squirrel,  perhaps,  or,  horrible  to  think 
of,  it  might  be  a  rat.  She  was  sure  rats  would 
eat  straw  beds,  and  her  first  impulse  was  to  wake 
Mr.  Archibald  ;  but  she  hesitated,  he  was  sleep- 
ing so  soundly.  Still  she  listened,  and  now  she 
became  almost  certain  that  what  she  heard  was 
not  the  patter  of  small  feet ;  it  sounded  more  like 
something  soft  which  was  dragging  itself  over  the 
floor  —  possibly  a  snake.  This  idea  was  simply 
awful,  and  she  sat  up  in  bed.  Still  she  did  not 
call  Mr.  Archibald,  for  should  he  suddenly  spring 
on  the  floor,  he  would  be  in  more  danger  from  the 
snake  than  she  was. 

She  listened  and  she  listened,  but  she  heard 
nothing  more,  and  then  her  reason  began  to  as- 
sure her  that  a  snake's  movements  on  a  bare  floor 
would  be  absolutely  noiseless ;  but  in  a  moment 
all  thoughts  of  serpents  were  driven  from  her 
head.  Outside  of  the  cabin  she  heard  a  sound 
that  could  be  nothing  less  than  the  footsteps  of 
some  living  creature  —  a  wild  beast,  perhaps  a 
panther.  The  door  was  shut  and  fastened,  but 
the  window  was  open.  To  call  Mr.  Archibald  and 
tell  him  a  wild  beast  was  walking  outside  the 
house  would  be  positively  wicked.  Half -awak- 
ened, he  would  probably  rush  out  of  the  door  to 
see  what  it  was.  What  could  she  do?  For  an 
instant  she  thought  of  lighting  a  candle  and 
standing  it  in  the  window.  She  knew  that  wild 
39- 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

beasts  were  afraid  of  fire,  and  she  did  not  believe 
that  even  a  panther  would  dare  jump  over  a 
lighted  candle.  But  if  she  struck  a  match  and 
got  up,  she  would  waken  her  husband  ;  and,  be- 
sides, if  the  wind,  of  which  she  could  feel  a  puff 
every  now  and  then,  did  not  blow  out  the  candle, 
it  might  blow  it  over  and  set  fire  to  the  cabin. 

She  heard  the  footsteps  no  more,  and  lay  ddwn 
again,  but  not  to  sleep.  The  wind  seemed  to  be 
rising,  and  made  a  wild,  unearthly  sound  as  it 
surged  through  the  trees  which  surrounded  and 
imprisoned  her,  and  shut  her  out  from  the  world 
in  which  she  was  born  and  in  which  she  ought  to 
live.  There  was  a  far-away  sound  which  came 
to  her  ears  once,  twice,  thrice,  and  which  might 
have  been  the  call  of  some  ghostly  bird  or  the 
war-whoop  of  an  Indian.  At  last  she  drew  the 
covering  over  her  head,  determined  that,  so  long 
as  she  could  not  see,  she  would  not  hear. 

"A  wedding- journey  !"  she  said  to  herself,  and 
the  idea,  coupled  with  the  sense  of  her  present 
grewsome  and  doleful  condition,  was  so  truly  ab- 
surd and  ridiculous  that  she  could  not  restrain  a 
melancholy  laugh. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  my  dear  ?"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Archibald,  suddenly  turning  over  in  his  bed. 
"Are  you  choking?  Is  the  room  too  close?  Shall 
I  open  the  door  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  she  said,  "  for  that  was  a  laugh 
you  heard.  I  couldn't  help  laughing  at  the 
thought  that  there  should  be  two  such  idiots  in 
the  world  as  you  and  myself." 

"  It  is  idiotic,  isn't  it  ?"  said  Mr.  Archibald.  "  It 
is  gloriously  idiotic,  and  it  will  do  us  both  a  world 
40 


CAMP    ROB 

of  good.  It  is  such  a  complete  and  perfect  change 
that  I  don't  wonder  you  laugh."  Then  he  laughed 
himself,  clearly  and  loudly,  and  turned  over  on 
his  side  and  went  to  sleep. 

Mrs.  Archibald  felt  certain  that  she  would  not 
sleep  another  wink  that  night,  but  she  did  sleep 
seven  hours  and  a  half,  and  was  awakened  by 
Margery  singing  outside  her  window. 


CHAPTER    VI 

CAMP     ROY 

No  thoughts  of  idiocy  crossed  the  minds  of  any 
of  the  camping  party  during  their  first  breakfast 
under  the  great  oak-tree.  The  air,  the  sunlight, 
the  rippling  waters  of  the  lake,  the  white  clouds 
in  the  blue  sky,  the  great  trunks  of  the  trees,  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves,  the  songs  of  the  birds,  the 
hum  of  insects,  the  brightness  of  everything,  their 
wonderful  appetites — the  sense  of  all  these  things 
more  than  filled  their  minds. 

For  the  greater  part  of  that  day  Mr,  Archibald 
fished,  sometimes  in  a  stream  which  ran  into  the 
head  of  the  lake  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above 
the  camp,  and  sometimes  on  the  shores  of  the  lake 
itself.  Margery  sketched  ;  her  night  in  the  studio 
had  filled  her  with  dreams  of  art,  and  she  had  dis- 
covered in  a  corner  a  portable  easel  made  of  hick- 
ory sticks  with  the  bark  on,  and  she  had  tucked 
some  drawing  materials  into  one  of  her  bags. 

Mrs.  Archibald  was  a  little  tired  with  her 
journey  of  the  day  before,  and  contented  her- 
self with  sitting  in  the  shade  in  pleasant  places, 
occupied  with  some  needle-work  she  had  brought 
with  her,  and  trying  to  discipline  her  mind  to 
habits  of  happiness  in  camp.  This  was  not  very 
difficult  during  the  first  part  of  this  beautiful  day, 
42 


CAMP    ROY 

but  towards  the  end  of  the  afternoon  she  began 
to  think  less  of  the  joys  of  a  free  life  in  the  heart 
of  nature  and  more  of  the  pleasure  of  putting  on 
her  bonnet  and  going  out  to  make  some  calls 
upon  her  friends.  In  this  state  of  mind  it  pleased 
her  to  see  Phil  Matlack  coming  towards  her. 

"  Would  you  like  a  cup  of  tea,  ma'am  ?"  said  he. 

"  No,  thank  you,"  she  answered.  "  It  would 
seem  rather  odd  to  have  afternoon  tea  in  the 
woods,  and  I  really  don't  care  for  it." 

"  We  can  have  'most  anything  in  the  woods, 
ma'am,"  said  Matlack,  "that  we  can  have  any- 
where else,  providin'  you  don't  mind  what  sort 
of  fashion  you  have  it  in.  I  thought  it  might  be 
sort  of  comfortin'  to  you  to  have  a  cup  of  tea. 
I've  noticed  that  in  most  campin'  parties  of  the 
family  order  there's  generally  one  or  two  of  them 
that's  lonesome  the  first  day  ;  and  the  fact  is  I 
don't  count  on  anything  particular  bein'  done  on 
the  first  day  in  camp,  except  when  the  party  is 
regular  hunters  or  fishermen.  It's  just  as  well 
for  some  of  them  to  sit  round  on  the  first  day  and 
let  things  soak  into  them,  provided  it  isn't  rain, 
and  the  next  day  they  will  have  a  more  natural 
feelin'  about  what  they  really  want  to  do.  Now 
I  expect  you  will  be  off  on  some  sort  of  a  tramp 
to-morrow,  ma'am,  or  else  be  out  in  the  boat ;  and 
as  for  that  young  lady,  she's  not  goin'  to  sketch 
no  more  after  to-day.  She's  got  young  Martin 
out  in  the  boat,  restin'  on  his  oars,  while  she's  put- 
tin'  him  into  her  picture.  She's  rubbed  him  out 
so  often  that  I  expect  he'll  fall  asleep  and  tumble 
overboard,  or  else  drop  one  of  his  oars." 

"  Mr.  Matlack,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  will  you 
43 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

please  sit  down  a  moment?     I  want  to  ask  you 
something." 

"  Certainly,  ma'am, "said  he,  and  forthwith  seat- 
ed himself  on  a  log  near  by,  picking  up  a  stick  as 
he  did  so,  and  beginning  to  shave  the  bark  from 
it  with  his  pocket-knife. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  she,  "  if  there  are  panthers 
in  these  woods  ?" 

Matlack  looked  up  at  her  quickly.  "  I  expect 
you  heard  them  walkin'  about  your  cabin  last 
night,"  said  he;  "and  not  only  panthers,  but 
most  likely  a  bear  or  two,  and  snakes  rustlin'  in 
the  leaves  ;  and,  for  all  I  know,  coons  or  'possums 
climbin'  in  and  out  of  the  window." 

"  Oh,  nothing  so  bad  as  that,"  she  replied.  "  I 
only  thought — " 

"  Excuse  me,  ma'am,"  he  interrupted.  "  I  didn't 
mean  that  you  heard  all  those  things,  but  most 
likely  a  part  of  them.  Hardly  any  family  parties 
goes  into  camp  that  some  of  them  don't  hear  wild 
beasts  the  first  night.  But  they  never  come  no 
more.  Them  kind  of  wild  beasts  I  call  first-night- 
ers, and  they're  about  the  worst  kind  we've  got, 
because  they  really  do  hurt  people  by  scratchin* 
and  clawin'  at  their  nerves,  whereas  the  real  wild 
beasts  in  these  parts — and  they're  mighty  scarce, 
and  never  come  near  camp — don't  hurt  nobody." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  she.  "  But  what 
on  earth  can  be  keeping  Mr.  Archibald  ?  When 
he  started  out  after  dinner  he  said  he  would  be 
back  very  soon." 

"Oh,  he's  got  the  fever,  ma'am,"  said  Matlack. 

"  Fever  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Archibald,  dropping 
her  work  in  her  lap. 

44 


CAMP    ROY 

"Oh,  don't  be  frightened,"  said  he  ;  "it  is  only 
the  fishin'  fever.  It  don't  hurt  anybody  ;  it  only 
keeps  the  meals  waitin'.  You  see,  we  are  pretty 
nigh  the  first  people  out  this  year,  and  the  fish 
bite  lively.  Are  you  fond  of  fishin',  ma'am  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  she  ;  "  I  dislike  it.  I  think 
it  is  cruel  and  slimy  and  generally  unpleasant." 

"  I  expect  you'll  spend  most  of  your  time  in  the 
boat,"  suggested  Matlack.  "  Your  husband  rows, 
don't  he  ?" 

"He  doesn't  row  me,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald, 
with  earnestness.  "  I  never  go  out  in  a  boat  ex- 
cept with  a  regular  boatman.  I  suppose  you 
have  a  larger  boat  than  the  one  that  young  man 
is  in  ?  I  can  see  it  from  here,  and  it  looks  very 
small." 

"  No,  ma'am,"  said  Matlack ;  "  that's  the  only 
one  we've  got.  And  now  I  guess  I'll  go  see  about 
supper.  This  has  been  a  lazy  day  for  us,  but 
we  always  do  calc'late  on  a  lazy  day  to  begin 
with." 

"  It  strikes  me,"  said  Matlack  to  himself,  as  he 
walked  away,  "that  this  here  camp  will  come  to 
an  end  pretty  soon.  The  man  and  the  young 
woman  could  stand  it  for  a  couple  of  weeks,  but 
there's  nothing  here  for  the  old  lady,  and  it  can't 
be  long  before  she'll  have  us  all  out  of  the  woods 
again." 

"You  can  come  in,"  called  Margery,  about  ten 
minutes  after  this  conversation ;  and  young 
Martin,  who  had  not  the  least  idea  of  going  to 
sleep  in  the  boat,  dipped  his  oars  in  the  water 
and  rowed  ashore,  pulled  the  boat  up  on  the 
beach,  and  then  advanced  to  the  spot  where 
45 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Margery  was  preparing  to  put  away  her  drawing 
materials. 

"Would  you  mind  letting  me  see  your  sketch?" 
said  he. 

"  Oh  no,"  said  she  ;  "  but  you'll  see  it  isn't  very 
much  like  the  scene  itself.  When  I  make  a  draw- 
ing from  nature  I  never  copy  everything  I  see 
just  as  if  I  were  making  a  photograph.  I  sup- 
pose you  think  I  ought  to  draw  the  boat  just  as 
it  is,  but  I  always  put  something  of  my  own 
in  my  pictures.  And  that,  you  see,  is  a  different 
kind  of  a  boat  from  the  one  you  were  in.  It  is 
something  like  Venetian  boats." 

"  It  isn't  like  anything  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
that  is  true,"  said  the  young  man,  as  he  held  the 
drawing  in  his  hand  ;  "  and  if  it  had  been  more 
like  a  gondola  it  would  not  have  suited  the  scene. 
I  think  you  have  caught  the  spirit  of  the  land- 
scape very  well ;  but  if  you  don't  object  to  a  little 
criticism,  I  should  say  that  the  shore  over  there 
is  too  near  the  foreground.  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  picture  wants  atmosphere  ;  that  would  help 
the  distance  very  much." 

"  Do  you  draw  ?"  asked  Margery,  in  surprise. 

"  I  used  to  be  very  fond  of  sketching,"  said  he. 
"  I  stayed  at  Sadler's  a  good  part  of  the  last 
winter,  and  when  I  wasn't  out  hunting  I  made  a 
good  many  drawings  of  winter  scenes.  I  would 
be  glad  to  show  them  to  you  when  we  go  back." 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  if  I  had  known  you  were  an 
artist  I  would  not  have  asked  you  to  go  out  there 
and  sit  as  a  model." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  an  artist,"  replied  Martin  ;  "  I 
only  draw,  that's  all.  But  if  you  make  any  more 
46 


CAMP    ROY 

water  sketches  and  would  like  me  to  put  some 
ducks  or  any  other  kind  of  wild-fowl  in  the  fore- 
ground I  will  be  glad  to  do  it  for  you.  I  have 
made  a  specialty  of  natural -history  drawings. 
Don't  bother  yourself  about  that  easel ;  I'll  carry 
up  your  things  for  you." 

About  half-way  to  the  cabin  Margery  suddenly 
stopped  and  turned  round  towards  the  young 
man,  who  was  following  her.  "  How  did  you  come 
to  be  a  guide  ?"  she  asked. 

He  smiled.  "  That's  because  I  was  born  a  natur- 
alist and  a  sportsman.  I  went  into  business  when 
I  finished  my  education,  but  I  couldn't  stand 
that,  and  as  I  couldn't  afford  to  become  a  gen- 
tleman sportsman,  I  came  here  as  a  guide.  I'm 
getting  a  lot  of  experience  in  this  sort  of  life,  and 
when  I've  saved  money  enough  I'm  going  on  an 
exploring  expedition,  most  likely  to  Central 
America.  That's  the  kind  of  life  that  will  suit  me." 

"  And  write  a  book  about  it  ?"  asked  Margery. 

"  Most  likely,"  said  he. 

That  night,  after  supper,  Margery  remarked  : 
"  Our  two  guides  are  American  citizens,  and  I 
don't  see  why  they  can't  eat  at  the  table  with  us 
instead  of  waiting  until  we  have  finished.  We 
are  all  free  and  equal  in  the  woods." 

"  Margery  Dearborn  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald. "  What  are  you  talking  about  ?" 

She  was  going  to  say  that  if  there  were  one 
straw  more  needed  to  break  her  back,  that  straw 
would  be  the  sight  of  the  two  guides  sitting  at 
the  table  with  them,  but  she  restrained  herself. 
She  did  not  want  Mr.  Archibald  to  know  any- 
thing about  the  condition  of  her  back. 
47 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  So  long  as  they  don't  want  to  do  it,  and  don't 
do  it,"  said  she,  "  pray  don't  let  us  say  anything 
about  it.  Let's  try  to  make  things  as  pleasant 
as  we  can." 

Mr.  Archibald  was  lighting  his  pipe,  and  when 
he  was  sure  the  tobacco  was  sufficiently  ignited 
he  took  the  pipe  from  his  mouth  and  turned 
towards  his  wife. 

"  Harriet,"  said  he,  "  you  have  been  too  much 
alone  to-day.  I  don't  know  what  I  shall  do  to- 
morrow ;  but  whatever  it  is,  I  am  going  to  take 
you  with  me." 

"  Of  course  that  depends  on  what  it  is  you  do," 
she  answered.  "  But  I  will  try  to  do  everything 
I  can." 

Mr.  Archibald  heaved  a  little  sigh,  which  was 
not  noticed  by  any  one,  because  it  sounded  like 
a  puff. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  thought,  "  that  this  camping 
business  is  not  going  to  last  very  much  longer, 
and  we  shall  be  obliged  to  make  the  rest  of  our 
wedding-journey  in  a  different  style." 

The  next  morning,  when  Mr.  Archibald  went 
out  of  his  cabin  door,  he  looked  over  the  lake  and 
saw  a  bird  suddenly  swoop  down  upon  the  water, 
breaking  the  smooth  surface  into  sparkles  of  sil- 
ver, and  then  rise  again,  a  little  silvery  fish  glit- 
tering in  its  claws. 

"Beautifully  done!"  said  he.  "A  splendid 
stroke  !"  And  then  turning,  he  looked  up  the 
lake,  and  not  far  from  the  water's  edge  he  saw 
Margery  walking  with  Mr.  Clyde,  while  Mr.  Ray- 
bold  followed  a  little  in  the  rear. 

"  Harriet,"  he  cried,  quickly  stepping  into  the  . 


CAMP    ROY 

cabin  again,  "  look  out  here  !  What  is  the  mean- 
ing of  this  ?" 

Mrs.  Archibald  was  dressed,  and  came  out. 
When  she  saw  the  trio  approaching  them,  she 
was  not  so  much  surprised  as  was  her  husband. 

"  I  don't  know  the  meaning  of  anything  that 
happens  in  these  woods,"  she  said  ;  "  but  if  a  lot 
of  people  have  come  from  the  hotel  with  those 
young  men  I  cannot  say  I  am  sorry." 

"  Come,"  said  her  husband,  "  we  must  look  into 
this." 

In  two  minutes  the  Archibalds  had  met  the 
new-comers,  who  advanced  with  outstretched 
hands,  as  if  they  had  been  old  friends.  Mr.  Ar- 
chibald, not  without  some  mental  disquietude  at 
this  intrusion  upon  the  woodland  privacy  of  his 
party,  was  about  to  begin  a  series  of  questions, 
when  he  was  forestalled  by  Margery. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Archibald  and  Aunt  Harriet !"  she 
exclaimed,  "Mr.  Clyde  and  Mr.  Raybold  have 
come  out  here  to  camp.  Their  camp  is  right 
next  to  ours,  and  it  is  called  Camp  Roy.  You 
see,  some  years  ago  there  was  a  large  camping 
party  came  here,  and  they  called  the  place  Camp 
Rob  Roy,  but  it  was  afterwards  divided,  and  one 
part  called  Camp  Rob  and  the  other  Camp  Roy." 

"Indeed!"  interrupted  Mr.  Archibald.  "Mr. 
Sadler  did  not  tell  us  that  ours  was  only  half  a 
camp  with  only  half  a  name." 

"  I  don't  suppose  he  thought  of  it,"  said  Mar- 
gery. "And  the  line  between  the  two  camps 
is  just  three  hundred  feet  above  our  cabin.  I 
don't  suppose  anybody  ever  measures  it  off,  but 
there  it  is ;  and  Mr.  Clyde  and  Mr.  Raybold  have 
D  49 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

taken  Camp  Roy,  which  hasn't  any  house  on  it. 
They  started  before  daybreak  this  morning,  and 
brought  a  tent  along  with  them,  which  they  have 
pitched  just  back  of  that  little  peninsula  ;  and 
they  haven't  any  guide,  because  they  want  to  at- 
tend to  their  own  cooking  and  everything,  and 
the  man  who  brought  the  tent  and  other  things 
has  gone  back.  They  are  going  to  live  there  just 
like  real  backwoodsmen,  and  they  have  a  boat  of 
their  own,  which  is  to  be  brought  up  from  the 
bottom  of  the  lake  somewhere — I  mean  from  the 
lower  end  of  the  lake.  And,  Aunt  Harriet,  may 
I  speak  to  you  a  moment  ?" 

With  this  the  young  woman  drew  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald aside,  and  in  a  low  voice  asked  if  she  thought 
it  would  be  out  of  the  way  to  invite  the  two  young 
men  to  take  breakfast  with  them,  as  it  was  not 
likely  they  had  all  their  cooking  things  in  order 
so  early. 

Five  people  sat  down  to  breakfast  under  the 
great  oak-tree,  and  it  was  a  lively  meal.  Mr. 
Archibald's  mental  disquiet,  in  which  were  now 
apparent  some  elements  of  resentment,  had  not 
subsided,  but  the  state  of  his  mind  did  not  show 
itself  in  his  demeanor,  and  he  could  not  help 
feeling  pleased  to  see  that  his  wife  was  in  better 
spirits.  He  had  always  known  that  she  liked 
company. 

After  breakfast  he  took  Matlack  aside.  "  I 
don't  understand  this  business,"  said  he.  "  When 
I  hired  this  camp  I  supposed  we  were  to  have  it  to 
ourselves  ;  but  if  there  are  other  camps  jammed 
close  against  it  we  may  be  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
public  picnic  before  a  week  is  out." 


CAMP    ROY 

"  Oh,  that  camp  over  there  isn't  much  of  a 
camp,"  replied  the  guide.  "The  fact  is,  it  is  only 
the  tail  end  of  a  camp,  and  I  don't  suppose  Peter 
Sadler  thought  anybody  would  be  likely  to  take 
it  just  now,  and  so  didn't  think  it  worth  while  to 
speak  of  it.  Of  course  it's  jammed  up  against 
this  one,  as  you  say  ;  but  then  the  people  in  one 
camp  haven't  the  right  to  cross  the  line  into 
another  camp  if  the  people  in  the  other  camp 
don't  want  them  to." 

"Line  !"  said  Mr.  Archibald.  "It  is  absurd  to 
think  of  lines  in  a  place  like  this.  And  I  have  no 
intention  of  making  myself  disagreeable  by  or- 
dering people  off  my  premises.  But  I  would  like 
to  know  if  there  is  another  camp  three  hundred 
feet  on  this  side  of  our  cabin,  or  three  hundred 
feet  back  of  it." 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Matlack,  speaking  promptly  ; 
"there  isn't  another  camp  between  this  and  the 
lower  end  of  the  lake.  There's  a  big  one  there, 
and  it's  taken;  but  the  people  aren't  coming  until 
next  month." 

"  If  a  larger  party  had  taken  Camp  Roy,"  said 
Mr.  Archibald  to  his  wife  a  little  later,  "I  should 
not  mind  it  so  much.  But  two  young  men  !  I 
do  not  like  it." 


CHAPTER   VII 

A      STRANGER 

IT  was  at  the  close  of  a  pleasant  afternoon  four 
days  after  the  arrival  of  the  young  men  at  Camp 
Roy,  and  Mrs.  Archibald  was  seated  on  a  camp- 
stool  near  the  edge  of  the  lake  intently  fishing. 
By  her  side  stood  Phil  Matlack,  who  had  volun- 
teered to  interpose  himself  between  her  and  all 
the  disagreeable  adjuncts  of  angling.  He  put 
the  bait  upon  her  hook,  he  told  her  when  her  cork 
was  bobbing  sufficiently  to  justify  a  jerk,  and 
when  she  caught  a  little  fish  he  took  it  off  the 
hook.  Fishing  in  this  pleasant  wise  had  become 
very  agreeable  to  the  good  lady,  and  she  found 
pleasures  in  camp  life  which  she  had  not  antici- 
pated. Her  husband  was  in  a  boat  some  distance 
out  on  the  lake,  and  he  was  also  fishing,  but  she 
did  not  care  for  that  style  of  sport ;  the  fish  were 
too  big  and  the  boat  too  small. 

A  little  farther  down  the  lake  Martin  Sanders 
sat  busily  engaged  in  putting  some  water-fowl 
into  the  foreground  of  Margery's  sketch.  A 
critical  observer  might  have  noticed  that  he  had 
also  made  a  number  of  changes  in  said  sketch,  all 
of  which  added  greatly  to  its  merits  as  a  picture 
of  woodland  scenery.  At  a  little  distance  Mar- 
gery was  sitting  at  her  easel  making  a  sketch  of 
52 


A    STRANGER 

Martin  as  an  artist  at  work  in  the  woods.  The 
two  young  men  had  gone  off  with  their  guns, 
not  perhaps  because  they  expected  to  find  any 
legitimate  game  at  that  season,  but  hoping  to 
secure  some  ornithological  specimens,  or  to  get  a 
shot  at  some  minor  quadrupeds  unprotected  by 
law.  Another  reason  for  their  expedition  could 
probably  have  been  found  in  some  strong  hints 
given  by  Mr.  Archibald  that  it  was  unwise  for 
them  to  be  hanging  around  the  camps  and 
taking  no  advantage  of  the  opportunities  for 
sport  offered  by  the  beautiful  weather  and  the 
forest. 

It  was  not  long  before  Margery  became  con- 
vinced that  the  sketch  on  which  she  was  working 
did  not  resemble  her  model,  nor  did  it  very  much 
resemble  an  artist  at  work  in  the  woods. 

"  It  looks  a  good  deal  more  like  a  cobbler  mend- 
ing shoes,"  she  said  to  herself,  "and  I'll  keep  it 
for  that.  Some  day  I  will  put  a  bench  under 
him  and  a  shoe  in  his  hand  instead  of  a  sketch." 
With  that  she  rose,  and  went  to  see  how  Martin 
was  getting  on.  "  I  think,"  she  said,  "  those  dark 
ducks  improve  the  picture  very  much.  They 
throw  the  other  things  back."  Then  she  stopped, 
went  to  one  side,  and  gazed  out  over  the  lake. 
"  I  wonder,"  she  said,  "  if  there  is  really  any  fun 
in  fishing.  Uncle  Archibald  has  been  out  in  that 
boat  for  more  than  two  hours,  and  he  has  fished 
almost  every  day  since  he's  been  here.  I  should 
think  he  would  get  tired  of  it." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Martin,  looking  up  with  anima- 
tion.    "  If  you  know  how  to  fish,  and  there  is  good 
sport,  you  never  get  tired  of  it." 
53 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  I  know  how  to  fish,"  said  Margery,  "  and  I  do 
not  care  about  it  at  all." 

"  You  know  how  to  fish  ?"  said  Martin,  "  Can 
you  make  a  cast  with  a  fly  ?" 

"I  never  tried  that,"  said  she,  "But  I  have 
fished  as  Aunt  Harriet  does,  and  it  is  easy  as  can 
be." 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  you  don't  know  anything  about 
fishing  unless  you  have  fished  with  a  fly.  That 
is  the  only  real  sport.  It  is  as  exciting  as  a  bat- 
tle. If  you  would  let  me  teach  you  how  to  throw 
a  fly,  I  am  sure  you  would  never  find  fishing  tire- 
some, and  these  woods  would  be  like  a  new  world 
to  you." 

"  Why  don't  you  do  it  yourself,  then  ?"  she 
asked. 

"  Because  I  am  paid  to  do  other  things,"  he  re- 
plied. "  We  are  not  sent  here  simply  to  enjoy 
ourselves,  though  I  must  say  that  I — "  And 
then  he  suddenly  stopped.  "  I  wish  you  would 
let  me  teach  you  fly-fishing.  I  know  you  would 
like  it." 

Margery  looked  at  the  eager  face  turned  tow- 
ards her,  and  then  she  gazed  out  over  the  water. 

"  Perhaps  I  might  like  it,"  she  said.  "  But 
it  wouldn't  be  necessary  for  you  to  take  that 
trouble.  Uncle  Archibald  has  two  or  three  times 
asked  me  to  go  out  with  him,  and  of  course  he 
would  teach  me  how  to  fish  as  he  does.  Isn't 
that  somebody  calling  you  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Martin,  rising  ;  "  it's  Phil.  I  sup- 
pose it's  nearly  supper-time." 

As  they  walked  towards  the  camp,  Margery  in 
front,  and  Martin  behind  her  carrying  the  draw- 

54 


A    STRANGER 

ing  -  materials  and  the  easel,  Margery  suddenly 
turned. 

"  It  was  very  good  of  you  to  offer  to  teach  me 
to  fish  with  flies,"  she  said,  "  and  perhaps,  if  Uncle 
Archibald  doesn't  want  to  be  bothered,  I  may  get 
you  to  show  me  how  to  do  it." 

The  young  man's  face  brightened,  and  he  was 
about  to  express  his  pleasure  with  considerable 
warmth  ;  but  he  checked  himself,  and  merely  re- 
marked that  whenever  she  was  ready  he  would 
provide  a  rod  and  flies  and  show  her  how  to  use 
them. 

Mrs.  Archibald  had  gone  into  the  cabin,  and 
Margery  went  up  to  Matlack,  who  was  on  his 
way  to  the  little  tent  in  which  the  camp  cooking 
was  done. 

"Did  Mrs.  Archibald  tell  you,"  said  she,  "that 
we  have  invited  Mr.  Clyde  and  Mr.  Raybold  to 
supper  to-night  ?" 

The  guide  stopped  and  smiled.  "  She  told  me," 
said  he,  *'  but  I  don't  know  that  it  was  altogether 
necessary." 

"  I  suppose  you  mean,"  said  Margery,  "  that 
they  are  here  so  much  ;  but  I  don't  wonder  ; 
they  must  do  awfully  poor  cooking  for  them- 
selves. I  don't  suppose  they  will  bring  anything 
back  that  is  good  to  eat." 

"  Not  at  this  time  of  year,"  said  he,  "  but  I 
shall  be  satisfied  if  they  bring  themselves  home." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?"  asked  Margery, 
quickly. 

"  Well,"  said  Matlack,  "  I  don't  doubt  the  bicy- 
cle fellow  will  always  come  back  all  right,  but 
I'm  afeard  about  the  other  one.  That  bicycle 
55 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

chap  don't  know  no  more  about  a  gun  than  he 
does  about  makin'  bread,  and  I  wouldn't  go  out 
huntin'  with  him  for  a  hundred  dollars.  He's 
just  as  likely  to  take  a  crack  at  his  pardner's 
head  as  at  anything  else  that's  movin1  in  the 
woods." 

"  That  is  dreadful  !"  exclaimed  Margery. 

"Yes,  it  is,"  returned  the  guide  ;  "and  if  I  had 
charge  of  their  camp  he  wouldn't  go  out  with  a 
gun  again.  But  it  will  be  all  right  in  a  day  or 
two.  Peter  will  settle  that." 

"Mr.  Sadler,  do  you  mean?"  asked  Margery. 
"  What's  he  got  to  do  with  it  ?" 

"  He's  got  everything  to  do  with  it,"  said  Mat- 
lack.  "  He's  got  everything  to  do  with  every- 
thing in  this  part  of  the  country.  He's  got  his 
laws,  and  he  sees  to  it  that  people  stand  by  them. 
One  of  his  rules  is  that  people  who  don't  know 
how  to  use  guns  sha'n't  shoot  in  his  camps." 

"  But  how  can  he  know  about  the  people  out 
here  in  the  woods  ?"  asked  Margery. 

"  I  tell  you,  miss,"  said  Matlack,  speaking  slow- 
ly and  decisively,  "Peter  Sadler's  ways  of  know- 
ing things  is  like  gas — the  kind  you  burn,  I  mean. 
I  was  a-visitin'  once  in  a  city  house,  and  slept  in 
a  room  on  the  top  floor,  and  there  was  a  leak  in 
the  pipe  in  the  cellar,  and  that  gas  just  went  over 
the  whole  house,  into  every  room  and  closet,  and 
even  under  the  beds,  and  I've  often  thought  that 
that  was  just  like  Peter's  way  of  doin'  things  and 
knowin'  things.  You  take  my  word  for  it,  that 
bicycle -man  won't  go  out  huntin'  many  more 
days,  even  if  he  don't  shoot  his  pardner  fust." 

"  He  won't  go  to-morrow,"  thought  Margery  ; 
56 


A    STRANGER 

and  then  she  said  to  Matlack  :  "  I  think  we  ought 
to  know  Mr.  Sadler's  rules.  Has  he  any  more  of 
them?" 

"  Oh,  they  ain't  very  many,"  said  Matlack.  " But 
there's  one  I  think  of  now,  and  that  is  that  no  wo- 
man shall  go  out  in  a  boat  by  herself  on  this  lake." 

"  That  is  simply  horrid  !"  exclaimed  Margery. 
"  Women  can  row  as  well  as  men." 

"  I  don't  say  they  can't,"  said  Matlack.  "  I'm 
only  tellin'  you  what  Peter's  rules  are,  and  that's 
one  of  them." 

Margery  made  no  reply,  but  walked  away,  her 
head  thrown  back  a  little  more  than  was  usual 
with  her. 

"  I've  got  to  keep  my  eye  on  her,"  said  Matlack 
to  himself,  as  he  went  to  the  cabin ;  "  she's  never 
been  broke  to  no  harness." 

Mr.  Raybold  did  not  shoot  Mr.  Clyde,  nor  did 
he  shoot  anything  else.  Mr.  Clyde  did  shoot  a 
bird,  but  it  fell  into  the  water  at  a  place  where 
the  shore  was  very  marshy,  and  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  get  it.  He  thought  it  was  a  heron, 
or  a  bittern,  or  perhaps  a  fish-hawk,  but  what- 
ever it  was,  both  ladies  said  that  it  was  a  great 
pity  to  kill  it,  as  it  was  not  good  to  eat,  and  must 
have  been  very  happy  in  its  life  in  the  beautiful 
forest. 

"  It  is  very  cruel  to  shoot  them  when  they  are 
not  strictly  game,"  said  Mr.  Clyde,  u  and  I  don't 
believe  I  will  do  it.  If  I  had  the  things  to  stuff 
them  with,  thac  would  be  different,  but  I  haven't. 
I  believe  fishing  is  just  as  much  fun,  and  more 
sensible." 

57 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  I  do  not !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Raybold.  "  I  hold 
that  hunting  is  a  manly  art,  and  that  a  forester's 
life  is  as  bold  and  free  to  him  as  it  is  to  the  birds 
in  the  air.  I  believe  I  have  the  blood  of  a  hunt- 
er in  me.  My  voice  is  for  the  woods. " 

"  I  expect  you  will  change  your  voice,"  thought 
Margery,  "  when  Mr.  Sadler  takes  your  gun  away 
from  you."  But  she  did  not  say  so. 

Mr.  Archibald  stood  with  his  hands  in  his  pock- 
ets reflecting.  He  had  hoped  that  these  two 
young  men  were  inveterate  hunters,  and  that 
they  would  spend  their  days  in  long  tramps.  He 
did  not  at  all  approve  of  their  fishing.  Fishing 
could  be  done  anywhere  —  here,  for  instance, 
right  at  this  very  door. 

Supper  was  over,  and  the  five  inhabitants  of 
Camps  Rob  and  Roy  had  seated  themselves 
around  the  fire  which  Martin  had  carefully  built, 
keeping  in  view  a  cheery  blaze  without  too  much 
heat.  Pipes  had  been  filled  and  preparations 
made  for  the  usual  evening  smoke  and  talk,  when 
a  man  was  seen  emerging  from  the  woods  at  the 
point  where  the  road  opened  into  the  clearing 
about  the  camp.  It  was  still  light,  for  these  hun- 
gry campers  supped  early,  and  the  man  could 
be  distinctly  seen  as  he  approached,  and  it  was 
plain  that  he  was  not  a  messenger  from  Sad- 
ler's. 

He  was  rather  a  large  man,  dressed  in  black, 
and  wearing  a  felt  hat  with  a  wide,  straight  brim. 
Hanging  by  a  strap  from  his  shoulder  was  a  small 
leather  bag,  and  in  his  hand  he  carried  a  closed 
umbrella.  Advancing  towards  the  fire,  he  took 
off  his  hat,  bowed,  and  smiled.  He  wore  no  beard, 
58 


A    STRANGER 

his  face  was  round  and  plump,  and  his  smile  was 
pleasant. 

"  Good-evening,  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  said  he, 
and  his  voice  was  as  pleasant  as  his  smile. 

"  Good-evening,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  and  then 
for  a  moment  there  was  a  pause. 

"I  presume,"  said  the  new-comer,  looking  about 
him,  "  that  this  is  a  camp." 

"  It  is  a  camp,"  said  Mr.  Archibald. 

"  The  fact  is  so  obvious,"  said  the  man  in  black, 
"  that  it  was  really  unnecessary  for  me  to  allude 
to  it.  May  I  ask  to  be  allowed  to  sit  down  for  a 
few  moments  ?  I  am  fatigued." 

At  this  juncture  Phil  Matlack  arrived  on  the 
scene.  "Well,  sir,"  said  he,  "have  you  any  busi- 
ness with  anybody  here  ?  Who  do  you  wish  to 
see?" 

"  I  have  no  business,"  said  the  other,  "  and — " 

"  And  you  are  a  stranger  to  everybody  here  ?" 
interrupted  Matlack. 

"  Yes,  but  I  hope—" 

"  Now  then,"  said  the  guide,  quickly,  "  I've  got 
to  ask  you  to  move  on.  This  is  one  of  Peter 
Sadler's  camps,  and  he  has  strict  rules  against 
strangers  stoppin'  in  any  of  them.  If  you've  lost 
your  way,  I'll  tell  you  that  this  road,  if  you  don't 
turn  to  the  right  or  the  left,  will  take  you  straight 
to  Sadler's,  and  there's  time  enough  for  you  to 
get  there  before  dark." 

"  Mr.  Matlack,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Archibald,  who 
had  risen  to  her  feet,  "  I  want  to  speak  to  you  ! 
It's  a  shame,"  she  said,  when  the  guide  had  ap- 
proached her,  "  to  send  that  man  away  without 
even  giving  him  a  chance  to  rest  himself.  He 
59 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

may  be  a  very  respectable  person  on  a  walking 
tour." 

"  I  guess  he  is  on  a  walkin'  tour,"  said  Matlack, 
"and  I  guess  he's  a  regular  tramp,  and  there's  no 
orders  we've  got  that's  stricter  than  them  against 
tramps." 

"Well,  I  don't  care  who  he  is,"  said  Mrs.  Ar- 
chibald, "  or  what  your  rules  are,  but  when  a  per- 
fectly good-mannered  man  comes  to  us  and  asks 
simply  to  be  allowed  to  rest,  I  don't  want  him  to 
be  driven  away  as  if  he  were  a  stray  pig  on  a 
lawn.  Mr.  Archibald,  shouldn't  he  be  allowed  to 
rest  a  while  ?" 

Her  husband  rose  and  approached  the  stranger. 
"  Where  are  you  going,  sir  ?"  said  he. 

The  man  looked  at  Matlack,  at  Martin,who  stood 
behind  him,  and  then  at  the  rest  of  the  company, 
and  after  this  comprehensive  glance  he  smiled. 

"  From  present  appearances,"  he  said,  "  I  think 
I  am  going  to  go." 

Mr.  Archibald  laughed.  "  When  do  you  expect 
to  get  there  ?"  he  asked. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  the  other,  reflectively, 
"  that  I  am  always  going  there,  and  I  suppose  I 
shall  have  to  keep  on  doing  it." 

"  Look  here,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  turning  to 
Matlack,  "give  him  some  supper,  and  let  him 
rest.  There  will  be  time  enough  for  him  to  get 
to  Sadler's  after  that.  If  Sadler  has  anything  to 
say  against  it,  refer  him  to  me." 

"All  right,  sir,"  said  Matlack,  "if  you  say  so. 
I'm  no  harder  on  my  fellow  -  bein's  than  other 
people,  but  rules  is  rules,  and  it  isn't  for  me  to 
break  them." 

60 


A    STRANGER 

"My  dear  sir,"  said  the  stranger  to  Mr.  Archi- 
bald, "  your  words  are  more  grateful  to  me  than 
the  promise  of  food.  I  see  that  you  consider  me 
a  tramp,  but  it  is  a  mistake.  I  am  not  a  tramp. 
If  you  will  allow  me,  after  I  have  eaten  a  little 
supper  —  a  meal  which  I  must  admit  I  greatly 
need — I  will  explain  to  you  how  I  happen  to  be 
here."  And  with  a  bow  he  walked  towards  the 
table  where  Matlack  and  Martin  had  been  eating 
their  supper. 

"Do  you  know  what  I  think  he  is?"  said  Mr. 
Clyde,  when  Mr.  Archibald  had  resumed  his  seat 
and  his  pipe.  "  I  believe  he  is  a  wandering  actor. 
Actors  always  have  smoothly  shaven  faces,  and 
he  looks  like  one." 

"  Actor  !"  exclaimed  Arthur  Raybold.  "  That's 
nonsense.  He's  not  in  the  least  like  an  actor. 
Anybody  could  see  by  his  tread  and  his  air  that 
he's  never  been  on  the  stage.  He's  more  like  a 
travelling  salesman.  The  next  thing  he'll  do 
will  be  to  pull  out  of  that  bag  some  samples  of 
spool  thread  or  patent  thimbles." 

"You  are  both  wrong,"  said  Margery — "entirely 
wrong.  I  have  been  looking  at  him,  and  I  believe 
he  is  a  Methodist  minister  with  a  dead  horse. 
They  ride  circuits,  and  of  course  when  their 
horses  die  they  walk.  Just  wait  a  little,  and  see 
if  I  am  not  right." 

They  waited  a  little,  and  then  they  waited  a  lit- 
tle longer,  and  they  had  begun  to  be  tired  of  wait- 
ing before  the  stranger  finished  his  meal  and  ap- 
proached the  fire.  His  face  was  brighter,  his 
smile  was  more  pleasant,  and  his  step  had  a  cer- 
tain jauntiness  in  it. 

61 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  I  thank  you  all,"  he  said,  "  for  the  very  good 
meal  I  have  just  enjoyed.  I  am  now  going  to 
go,  but  before  I  start  I  would  like  very  much — 
indeed,  I  crave  it  as  a  favor  —  to  place  myself 
before  you  in  my  proper  light.  May  I  have 
permission  to  do  so,  madam  and  sir  ?"  he  said, 
addressing  Mrs.  and  Mr.  Archibald,  but  with  a 
respectful  glance  at  the  others,  as  if  he  would 
not  ignore  any  one  of  them. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald.  "  Sit  down 
and  tell  us  about  yourself." 

The  stranger  seated  himself  with  alacrity  a  lit- 
tle back  from  the  circle,  and  nearer  to  the  young 
men  than  to  the  Archibald  party. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE    BISHOP'S   TALE 

THE  stranger  placed  his  broad-brimmed  hat  on 
the  ground  beside  him,  exposing  a  large  round 
head  somewhat  bald  in  front,  but  not  from  age, 
and  the  rest  of  it  covered  with  close-cut  brown 
hair.  His  black  clothes  fitted  him  very  closely, 
their  extreme  tightness  suggesting  that  they  had 
shrunken  in  the  course  of  wearing,  or  that  he 
had  grown  much  plumper  since  he  had  come  into 
possession  of  them  ;  and  their  general  worn  and 
dull  appearance  gave  considerable  distance  to  the 
period  of  their  first  possession.  But  there  was 
nothing  worn  or  dull  about  the  countenance  of 
the  man,  upon  which  was  an  expression  of  mel- 
low geniality  which  would  have  been  suitably 
consequent  upon  a  good  dinner  with  plenty  of 
wine.  But  his  only  beverage  had  been  coffee, 
and  in  his  clear  bright  eye  there  was  no  trace  of 
any  exhilaration,  except  that  caused  by  the  ac- 
tion of  a  hearty  meal  upon  a  good  digestion  and 
an  optimistic  disposition. 

"  I  am  very  glad,"  he  said,  looking  about  him 
at  the  company,  and  then  glancing  with  a  friend- 
ly air  towards  the  two  guides,  who  stood  a  little 
back  of  Mr.  Archibald,  "to  have  this  opportunity 
to  explain  my  appearance  here.  In  the  first  place, 
63 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

I  must  tell  you  that  I  am  a  bishop  whose  diocese 
has  been  inundated,  and  who  consequently  has 
been  obliged  to  leave  it." 

"Oh  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Archibald  ;  and  Margery 
looked  at  Mr.  Clyde,  with  the  remark  : 

"  There  !     You  see  I  was  very  near  to  it." 

"I  presume  this  statement  will  require  some 
explanation,"  continued  the  man  in  black,  "and 
I  will  make  it  presently.  I  am  going  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly frank  and  open  in  all  that  I  say  to  you, 
and  as  frankness  and  openness  are  so  extremely 
rare  in  this  world,  it  may  be  that  I  shall  obtain 
favor  in  your  eyes  from  the  fact  of  my  possessing 
those  unusual  qualities.  Originally  I  was  a  teach- 
er, and  for  a  year  or  two  I  had  a  very  good  coun- 
try school ;  but  my  employment  at  last  became 
so  repugnant  to  me  that  I  could  no  longer  en- 
dure it,  and  this  repugnance  was  due  entirely  to 
my  intense  dislike  for  children." 

"  That  is  not  at  all  to  your  credit,"  observed 
Mrs.  Archibald ;  "  and  I  do  not  see  how  you  be- 
came a  bishop,  or  why  you  should  have  been 
made  one." 

"Was  your  diocese  entirely  meadow-land?"  in- 
quired Mr.  Archibald. 

"  I  am  coming  to  all  that,"  said  the  stranger, 
with  a  smile  of  polite  consideration  towards  Mrs. 
Archibald.  "  I  know  very  well  that  it  is  not  at 
all  to  my  credit  to  dislike  children,  but  I  said  I 
would  be  honest,  and  I  am.  I  do  dislike  them — 
not  their  bodies,  but  their  minds.  Children,  con- 
sidered physically,  are  often  pleasant  to  the  view, 
and  even  interesting  as  companions,  providing 
their  innate  juvenility  is  undisturbed ;  but  when 
64 


THE    BISHOP'S    TALE 

their  personalities  are  rudely  thrown  open  by  a 
teacher,  and  the  innate  juvenility  prematurely 
exposed  to  the  air,  it  is  something  so  clammy, 
so  chilly  to  the  mental  marrow,  that  I  shrink  from 
it  as  I  would  shrink  from  the  touch  of  any  cold, 
clammy  thing." 

"  Horrible  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  observed  Margery,  "that  there 
is  not  some  truth  in  that.  I  had  a  Sunday-school 
class  for  a  little  while,  and  although  I  can't  say 
there  was  a  clamminess,  there  was — well,  I  don't 
know  what  there  was,  but  I  gave  it  up." 

"  I  am  glad,"  said  the  man  in  black,  "  that  my 
candor  is  not  sinking  me  in  the  estimation  of 
every  one  present;  but  even  if  it  did,  I  am  obliged 
to  tell  the  truth.  I  do  not  know  what  would  have 
become  of  me  if  I  had  not  had  the  good-fortune  to 
catch  the  measles  from  a  family  with  whom  I  was 
spending  Sunday  in  another  town.  As  soon  as 
the  disease  plainly  showed  itself  upon  me  my 
school  was  broken  up,  and  it  was  never  gathered 
together  again,  at  least  under  me. 

"  I  must  make  my  story  brief,  and  can  only  say 
that  not  long  after  this  I  found  myself  in  anoth- 
er town,  where  it  became  necessary  for  me  to  do 
something  to  support  myself.  This  was  difficult, 
for  I  am  an  indefinite  man,  and  defmiteness  seems 
necessary  to  success  in  any  line.  Happening  one 
day  to  pass  a  house  with  open  lower  windows,  I 
heard  the  sound  of  children's  voices  speaking  in 
unison,  and  knowing  that  this  must  be  a  school, 
I  looked  in,  compelled  entirely  by  that  curiosity 
which  often  urges  us  to  gaze  upon  human  suffer- 
ing. I  found,  however,  that  this  was  a  kinder- 

E  65 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

garten  conducted  by  a  young  woman.  Unob- 
served by  scholars  or  teacher,  I  watched  the 
proceedings  with  great  interest,  and  soon  became 
convinced  that  kindergartening  was  a  much  less 
repellent  system  of  tuition  than  any  I  had  known; 
but  I  also  perceived  that  the  methods  of  the 
young  woman  could  be  greatly  improved.  I 
thought  a  good  deal  upon  this  subject  after 
leaving  the  open  window.  Soon  afterwards,  be- 
coming acquainted  with  the  young  person  in 
charge  of  the  children,  I  offered  to  teach  her  a 
much  better  system  of  kindergartening  than  she 
was  using.  My  terms  were  very  low,  and  she 
became  my  scholar.  I  soon  learned  that  there 
were  other  kindergartens  in  the  town,  and  some 
of  the  teachers  of  these  joined  my  class.  More- 
over, there  were  young  women  in  the  place  who 
were  not  kindergartners,  but  who  would  like  to 
become  such,  and  these  I  also  taught,  sometimes 
visiting  them  at  their  houses,  and  sometimes  giv- 
ing my  lessons  in  a  room  loaned  by  one  of  my 
patrons.  My  system  became  very  popular,  be- 
cause it  was  founded  upon  common-sense." 

"What  was  your  system  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald. "I  am  interested  in  kindergartens  myself." 

"My  object,"  he  answered,  "was  to  make  the 
operation  of  teaching  interesting  to  the  teacher. 
It  struck  me  very  forcibly  that  a  continuance  of 
a  few  years  in  the  present  inane  performances 
called  kindergartening  would  infallibly  send  to 
our  lunatic  asylums  a  number  of  women,  more  or 
less  young,  with  more  or  less  depleted  intellects. 
The  various  games  and  exercises  I  devised  ^ere 
very  interesting,  and  I  am  sure  I  had  scholars 
66 


THE    BISHOP'S    TALE 

who  never  intended  to  become  kindergartners, 
and  who  studied  with  me  solely  for  their  own  ad- 
vantage. It  was  at  this  time  that  I  adopted  the 
clerical  dress  as  being  more  suitable  to  my  voca- 
tion than  any  other  costume,  and  some  one  hav- 
ing called  me  the  bishop,  the  name  soon  became 
popular,  and  I  was  generally  known  by  it." 

"  But  what  is  your  real  name  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Ar- 
chibald. 

"Madam,"  said  the  man,  "you  must  excuse  me 
if  I  ask  you  to  recall  your  question.  I  have  a 
good  name,  and  I  belong  to  a  very  good  family, 
but  there  are  reasons  why  I  do  not  at  present 
wish  to  avow  that  name.  Some  of  these  reasons 
are  connected  with  the  report  that  I  purposely 
visited  the  family  with  the  measles  in  order  to 
get  rid  of  my  school ;  others  are  connected  with 
the  inundation  of  my  diocese,  of  which  I  shall 
speak  ;  others  refer  to  my  present  indefinite 
method  of  life.  There  is  reason  to  suppose  that 
the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  my  resumption 
of  my  family  name  will  throw  no  discredit  upon 
it,  but  that  period  has  not  yet  arrived.  Do  you 
press  your  question,  madam  ?" 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald;  "it  really  makes 
no  difference ;  and  out  here  in  the  woods  a  man 
may  call  himself  a  bishop  or  a  cardinal  or  any- 
thing he  likes." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  said  he,  "  and  I  will 
continue  to  speak  in  figures,  and  call  myself  a 
bishop." 

"  Where  I  was  brought  up,"  interpolated  Phil 
Matlack,  still  standing  behind  Mr.  Archibald,  "  I 
was  taught  that  figures  don't  lie." 
6? 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  My  good  sir,"  said  the  speaker,  with  a  smile, 
"  in  mathematics  they  don't,  in  poetry  and  litera- 
ture they  often  do.  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  rny 
diocese  extended  itself,  my  revenues  were  satis- 
factory, and  I  had  begun  to  believe  that  I  had 
found  my  true  work  in  life,  when  suddenly  there 
was  a  misfortune.  There  arrived  in  our  town 
three  apostles  of  kindergartening — two  of  them 
were  women,  and  one  was  a  man.  They  had 
heard  of  my  system,  and  had  come  to  investigate 
it.  They  did  so,  with  the  result  that  in  an  aston- 
ishingly short  time  my  diocese  was  inundated 
with  a  flood  of  Froebelism  which  absolutely  swept 
me  away.  With  this  bag,  this  umbrella,  and  this 
costume,  which  has  now  become  my  wardrobe,  I 
was  cast  out  in  all  my  indefiniteness  upon  a  def- 
inite world." 

"And  how  did  you  get  here  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald. 

"  I  had  heard  of  Sadler  and  his  camps,"  said  he; 
"and  in  this  beautiful  month  and  in  this  beauti- 
ful weather  I  thought  it  would  be  well  to  investi- 
gate them.  I  accordingly  went  to  Mr.  Sadler's, 
where  I  arrived  yesterday  afternoon.  »  I  found 
Mr.  Sadler  a  very  definite  man,  and,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  that  as  he  immediately  defined  me  as  a 
tramp,  he  would  listen  to  no  other  definition. 
*  You  have  no  money  to  pay  for  food  and  lodg- 
ings,' said  he,  '  and  you  come  under  my  tramp 
laws.  I  don't  harbor  tramps,  but  I  don't  kick 
them  out  into  the  woods  to  starve?  For  labor  on 
this  place  I  pay  one  dollar  and  a  half  a  day  of 
ten  hours.  For  meals  to  day-laborers  I  charge 
fifteen  cents  each.  If  you  want  your  supper,  you 

68 


THE    BISHOP'S    TALE 

can  go  out  to  that  wood-shed  and  split  wood  for 
one  hour.'  I  was  very  hungry;  I  went  out  into  the 
wood-shed  ;  I  split  wood  for  one  hour,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  I  had  a  sufficient  meal.  When  I 
had  finished,  Mr.  Sadler  sent  for  me.  'Do  you  want 
to  stay  here  all  night  ?'  he  said.  *  I  do,'  I  answered. 
'Go,  then,  and  split  wood  for  another  hour.'  I 
did  so,  and  it  was  almost  dark  when  I  had  finish- 
ed. In  the  morning  I  split  wood  for  my  break- 
fast, and  when  I  had  finished  I  went  to  Mr.  Sad- 
ler and  asked  him  how  much  he  would  charge  for 
a  luncheon  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  paper.  'Seven 
and  a  half  cents,'  he  said.  I  split  wood  for  half 
an  hour,  and  left  Sadler's  ostensibly  to  return  to 
the  station  by  the  way  I  had  come ;  but  while  I 
had  been  at  work,  I  found  from  the  conversation 
of  some  of  the  people  that  one  of  the  camps  was 
occupied,  and  I  also  discovered  in  what  direction 
it  lay.  Consequently,  after  I  had  passed  out  of 
the  sight  of  the  definite  Peter  Sadler,  I  changed 
my  course,  and  took  a  path  through  the  woods 
which  I  was  told  would  lead  to  this  road,  and  I 
came  here  because  I  might  just  as  well  pass  this 
way  as  any  other,  and  because,  having  set  out  to 
investigate  camp  life,  I  wished  to  do  so,  and  I 
hope  I  may  be  allowed  to  say  that  although  I 
have  seen  but  little  of  it,  I  like  it  very  much." 

"Now,  then,"  said  Phil  Matlack,  walking  around 
the  circle  and  approaching  the  stranger,  "  you 
said,  when  you  first  came  here,  that  you  were 
going  to  go,  and  the  time  has  come  when  you've 
got  to  go." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  other,  looking  up  with  a 
smile  ;  "  if  I've  got  there  I'd  better  stop." 
69 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Mr.  Archibald  and  the  young  men  laughed,  but 
Matlack  and  Martin,  who  had  now  joined  him,  did 
not  laugh. 

"  You've  barely  time  enough,"  said  the  former, 
"to  get  to  Sadler's  before  it  is  pitch-dark,  and — " 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  the  other,  "  but  I  am  not 
going  back  to  Sadler's  to-night.  I  would  rather 
have  no  bed  than  split  wood  for  an  hour  after 
dark  in  order  to  procure  one.  I  would  prefer  a 
couch  of  dried  leaves." 

"You  come  along  into  the  road  with  this  young 
man  and  me  ;  I  want  to  talk  to  you,"  said  Mat- 
lack. 

"Now,  Matlack,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "don't 
be  cruel." 

"  I  am  not,"  said  the  guide.  "  I  am  the  tender- 
est-hearted  person  in  the  world';  but  even  if  you 
say  so,  sir,  I  can't  let  a  stranger  stay  all  night  in 
a  camp  that  I've  got  charge  of." 

"  Look  here,  Matlack,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Clyde, 
"  you  haven't  got  charge  of  our  camp  !" 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  said  the  other. 

"  Well,  then,  this  person  can  come  over  and 
stay  with  us.  We  have  a  little  tent  that  we 
brought  to  put  over  the  cooking-stove,  and  he 
can  sleep  in  that." 

"Very  well,"  said  Matlack  ;  "if  you  take  him 
out  of  this  camp  I  haven't  anything  to  say — that 
is,  to-night." 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  the  stranger,  rising,  and 
approaching  Mr.  Clyde,  "  I  accept  your  offer  with 
pleasure,  and  thank  you  most  heartily  for  it.  If 
you  had  proffered  me  the  hospitality  of  a  palace, 
I  could  not  be  more  grateful." 
70 


THE    BISHOP'S    TALE 

"All  right,"  said  Clyde;  "and  I  suppose  it  is 
time  for  us  to  be  off,  so  I  will  bid  you  all  good- 
night. Come  along,  Arthur.  Come  along,  bishop." 

The  face  of  the  last-named  individual  beamed 
with  delight  as  he  heard  this  appellation,  and  bid- 
ding everybody  good-night,  and  thanking  them 
for  the  kindness  with  which  he  had  been  treated, 
he  followed  the  two  young  men. 

The  three  walked  some  little  distance  towards 
Camp  Roy,  and  then  Clyde  came  running  back 
to  speak  to  Margery,  who  was  now  standing  by 
herself  watching  the  young  moon  descend  among 
the  trees.  Then  Mr.  Raybold  also  stopped  and 
came  back  to  Margery,  upon  which  the  bishop 
stopped  and  waited  for  them.  In  about  ten  min- 
utes he  was  joined  by  the  two  young  men,  and 
the  three  proceeded  to  Camp  Roy. 

"  There  is  one  thing,  Harriet,"  said  Mr.  Archi- 
bald, "  which  I  wish  you  would  speak  to  Margery 
about.  I  don't  want  her  to  get  up  so  early  and 
go  out  for  a  morning  walk.  I  find  that  those 
young  men  are  also  early  risers." 

'*  I  will  speak  to  her,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald ; 
"  where  is  she  ?" 

"  Over  there,  talking  to  young  Martin,"  said 
her  husband.  "  It  isn't  quite  dark  yet,  but  I 
think  it  is  time  we  were  all  in  bed." 

"  Quite  time,"  said  she.  "  Margery  tells  me 
that  that  young  guide,  who  is  a  handsome  fel- 
low, is  going  to  teach  her  how  to  fish  with  flies. 
I  wish  you  would  sometimes  take  her  out  in  the 
boat  with  you,  Mr.  Archibald  ;  I  am  sure  that 
you  could  teach  her  how  to  fish." 

He  smiled.    "  I  suppose  I  could,"  he  said  ;  "  and 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

I  also  suppose  I  could  pull  her  out  of  the  water 
the  first  time  she  hooked  a  big  fish.  It  would  be 
like  resting  a  boat  on  a  pivot  to  put  her  into  it." 

"  Then  you  don't  take  her,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald, 
decisively.  "And  you  can't  take  her  with  you 
up  the  stream,  because,  of  course,  she  can't  wade. 
I  don't  want  her  to  get  tired  of  camp-life,  but — " 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  the  young  men,"  interrupt- 
ed her  husband,  with  a  laugh  ;  "  so  long  as  there 
are  three  of  them  there  is  no  danger." 

"Of  course  I  will  not,  if  you  don't  wish  it,  Aunt 
Harriet,"  said  Margery,  when  Mrs.  Archibald  had 
spoken  to  her  about  the  early  morning  walks  ; 
"and  I  will  stay  in  my  room  until  you  call  me." 

The  next  morning,  when  Mrs.  Archibald  was 
ready  to  leave  the  cabin,  she  did  call  Margery, 
but  received  no  answer.  Then  she  went  to  the 
little  studio-room,  and  when  she  opened  the  door 
she  found  its  occupant  leaning  out  of  the  win- 
dow talking  to  Mr.  Clyde  and  Mr.  Raybold,  who 
stood  outside. 

"  Good  -  morning,  Aunt  Harriet  !"  exclaimed 
Margery,  gayly.  "  Mr.  Clyde  has  brought  me 
nearly  an  armful  of  birch  -  bark,  all  thin  and 
smooth.  I  am  going  to  make  a  birch-bark  bed- 
spread out  of  it.  I'll  cover  a  sheet  with  these 
pieces,  you  see,  and  sew  them  on.  Then  I  can 
have  autographs  on  them,  and  mottoes,  and  when 
I  cover  myself  up  with  it  I  shall  really  feel  like 
a  dryad." 

"  And  here  is  what  I  have  brought,"  said  Mr. 
Raybold,  holding  up  an  armful  of  bark. 

"  Oh,  thank  you  very  much,"  said  Margery,  tak- 
ing the  mass,  but  not  without  dropping  a  good 
72 


THE    BISHOP'S    TALE 

many  of  the  pieces.  "Of  course  it  was  kind  of  him 
to  bring  it,"  she  said  to  Mrs.  Archibald,  as  they 
left  the  room  together,  "  but  he  needn't  have 
bothered  himself  :  I  don't  want  to  sleep  under  a 
wood-pile." 


CHAPTER   IX 

MATLACK'S  THREE  TROUBLES 

"  HAVE  you  asked  those  two  young  men  to 
breakfast  again  ?"  inquired  Mr.  Archibald,  after 
examining,  with  a  moderate  interest,  the  speci- 
men of  birch-bark  which  Margery  had  shown  him. 

"Oh  no,  indeed,"  said  she,  "they  have  had  their 
breakfast.  They  have  been  telling  me  about  it. 
The  bishop  got  up  very  early  in  the  morning  and 
cooked  it  for  them.  He's  a  splendid  cook,  and 
he  found  things  in  their  hampers  that  they  didn't 
know  they  had.  They  said  his  coffee  was  de- 
licious, and  they  have  left  him  there  in  their 
camp  now,  washing  the  dishes  and  putting  every- 
thing in  order.  And  do  you  think,  Uncle  Archi- 
bald, that  it  is  going  to  rain  ?" 

"  I  do,"  said  he,  "for  it  is  sprinkling  already." 

This  proved  to  be  the  first  bad  day  since  the 
Archibald  party  had  gone  into  camp,  and  the  rain 
soon  began  to  come  down  in  a  steady,  practised 
way,  as  if  the  clouds  above  were  used  to  that 
sort  of  thing  and  could  easily  keep  it  up  all  day. 

As  there  was  no  place  under  roof  to  which 
company  could  be  conveniently  invited,  Margery 
retired  to  her  room  and  set  herself  diligently  to 
work  on  her  birch-bark  quilt. 

Mrs.  Archibald  established  herself  in  the  divis- 
74 


MATLACK'S  THREE  TROUBLES 

ion  of  the  cabin  which  was  intended  to  be  used 
as  a  sitting  and  dining  room  in  bad  weather,  and 
applied  herself  to  some  sewing  and  darning, 
which  had  been  reserved  for  just  such  a  day  as 
this.  Mr.  Archibald,  in  a  water-proof  suit,  tried 
fishing  for  half  an  hour  or  so,  but  finding  it  both 
unpleasant  and  unprofitable,  he  joined  his  wife, 
made  himself  as  comfortable  as  possible  on  two 
chairs,  and  began  to  read  aloud  one  of  the  novels 
they  had  brought  with  them. 

Mr.  Clyde  and  Mr.  Raybold  had  considerately 
gone  to  their  own  camp  when  it  began  to  rain, 
hoping,  however,  that  the  shower  would  be  over 
in  a  short  time.  But  the  rain  was  not  a  shower, 
and  they  spent  the  morning  on  their  backs  in 
their  tent,  talking  and  smoking.  Of  course  they 
could  not  expect  the  bishop  to  depart  in  the  rain, 
so  they  had  told  him  to  make  himself  as  comfort- 
able as  he  could  in  the  little  kitchen  tent,  and 
offered  him  a  pipe  and  a  book.  The  first  he  de- 
clined, as  he  never  smoked,  but  the  latter  he  ac- 
cepted with  delight. 

After  the  mid  -  day  dinner  Phil  Matlack,  in  a 
pair  of  high  hunting-boots  and  an  oil-skin  coat, 
came  to  Mr.  Archibald  and  said  that  as  there 
was  nothing  he  could  do  that  afternoon,  he  would 
walk  over  to  Sadler's  and  attend  to  some  busi- 
ness he  had  there. 

"About  the  bishop?"  asked  Mr.  Archibald. 

"  Partly,"  said  Matlack.  "  I  understand  the  fel- 
low is  still  over  there  with  those  two  young  men. 
I  don't  suppose  they'll  send  him  off  in  the  rain, 
and  as  he  isn't  in  my  camp,  I  can't  interfere.  But 
it  may  rain  for  two  or  three  days." 
75 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"All  right,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "and  if  we 
want  anything  we'll  ask  Martin." 

"Just  so,"  said  Matlack.  "  If  there's  anything 
to  do  that  you  don't  want  to  do  yourself,  you  can 
get  him  to  do  it ;  but  if  you  want  to  know  any- 
thing you  don't  know  yourself,  you'd  better  wait 
until  I  come  back." 

When  Matlack  presented  himself  before  Peter 
Sadler  he  found  that  ponderous  individual  seated 
in  his  rolling-chair  near  the  open  door,  enjoying 
the  smell  of  the  rain. 

"  Hello,  Phil !"  he  cried.  "  What's  wrong  at  the 
camp?" 

The  guide  left  his  wet  coat  and  cap  on  the  lit- 
tle piazza  outside,  and  after  carefully  wiping  his 
feet,  seated  himself  on  a  chair  near  the  door. 

"  There's  three  things  wrong,"  said  he.  "In  the 
first  place,  there's  a  tramp  out  there,  and  it  looks 
to  me  as  if  he  was  a-goin'  to  stick,  if  he  can  get 
allowed  to  do  it." 

"  Is  he  too  big  for  you  to  bounce  ?"  roared 
Peter.  "  That's  a  pretty  story  to  come  tell  me  !" 

"  No,  he  ain't,"  said  the  other  ;  "  but  I  haven't 
got  the  bouncin'  of  him.  He's  not  in  my  camp. 
The  young  men  have  took  him  in  ;  but  I  expect 
he'll  come  over  with  them  as  soon  as  it's  done 
rainin',  for  when  that  happens  they're  bound  to 
come  themselves." 

"  Look  here,  Phil,"  said  Peter,  "  is  he  dressed 
in  black  ?" 

"  Yes,  he  is,"  said  the  guide. 

Mr.  Sadler  slapped  his  hand  on  the  arm  of  his 
chair.  "  Phil  Matlack,"  he  shouted,  "  that's  my 
favorite  tramp.  I  never  had  a  man  here  who 
76 


MATLACK'S  THREE  TROUBLES 

paid  his  bill  in  work  as  he  did.  It  was  cash  down, 
and  good  money.  Not  a  minute  of  wood-split- 
ting more  or  less  than  the  market-price  for  meals 
and  bed.  I'd  like  to  have  a  tramp  like  that  come 
along  about  twice  a  week.  But  I  tell  you,  Phil, 
he  ain't  no  tramp.  Couldn't  you  see  that  ?  None 
of  them  loafers  ever  worked  as  he  did." 

"  He  may  not  be  a  tramp,"  said  Matlack,  "  but 
he's  trampin'.  What  are  you  goin'  to  do  about 
him  ?  Let  him  stay  there  ?" 

"What's  he  doin'  now?"  asked  Sadler. 

"  He's  cookin'  for  those  two  young  men." 

"  Well,  they  need  some  one  to  do  it  for  them, 
and  they  didn't  want  to  go  to  the  expense  of  a 
guide.  Let  the  parson  alone  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  if  he  does  anything  out  of  the  way  just  you 
take  him  by  one  ear  and  Martin  take  him  by  the 
other  and  bring  him  to  me.  I'll  attend  to  him. 
What's  the  next  trouble  ?" 

"  That's  out  of  my  camp,  too,"  said  Matlack, 
"  but  I'm  bound  to  report  it.  The  bicycle  fellow 
that  you  hired  a  gun  to  don't  know  the  fust  thing 
about  usin'  it,  and  the  next  thing  you'll  hear  will 
be  that  he's  shot  his  pardner,  who's  worth  six  of 
him." 

Mr.  Sadler  sat  up  very  straight  in  his  chair 
and  stared  at  the  guide.  "  Phil  Matlack,"  he 
shouted,  "  what  do  you  take  me  for  ?  I  hired  that 
gun  to  that  young  man.  Don't  you  suppose  I 
know  what  I'm  about  ?" 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Matlack,  "  but  the 
trouble  is  he  don't  know  what  he's  about." 

"Get  away  man,"  said  Peter,  with  a  contempt- 
uous sniff,  "  he'll  never  hurt  anybody.  What 
77 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

4 

do  you  take  me  for?  When  he  came  to  me  and 
wanted  a  gun,  I  handed  him  two  or  three,  so  that 
he  might  choose  one  that  suited  him,  and  by  the 
way  he  handled  them  I  could  see  that  most  like- 
ly he'd  never  handled  one  before,  and  so  I  set 
him  up  all  right.  He's  got  a  good  gun,  and  all 
the  cartridges  he'll  be  likely  to  want;  and  the 
cartridges  are  all  like  this.  They're  a  new  kind 
I  heard  of  last  winter,  and  I  got  a  case  from  Bos- 
ton last  week.  I  don't  see  how  I  ever  managed 
to  run  my  camps  without  them.  Do  you  see  that 
shot  ?"  said  he,  opening  one  end  of  a  cartridge. 
"  Well,  take  one  in  your  hand  and  pinch  it." 

Phil  did  S0j  and  it  crumbled  to  dust  in  his 
hand. 

"  When  that  load's  fired,"  said  Peter,  "  all  the 
shot  will  crumble  into  dust.  It  wouldn't  do  to 
give  raw  hands  blank-cartridges,  because  they'd 
find  that  out ;  but  with  this  kind  they  might  sit 
all  day  and  fire  at  a  baby  asleep  in  its  cradle  and 
never  disturb  it,  provided  the  baby  was  deaf. 
And  he  can't  use  his  pardner's  cartridges,  for  I 
gave  that  fellow  a  twelve-bore  gun  and  his  is  a 
ten-bore." 

Phil  grinned.  "Well,  then,"  said  he,  "I  sup- 
pose I  might  as  well  make  my  mind  easy,  but  if 
that  bicycle  man  hunts  much  he'll  get  the  con- 
viction borne  in  on  him  that  he's  a  dreadful  bad 
shot." 

"Then  he'll  give  up  shooting,  which  is  what 
is  wanted,"  said  Sadler.  "What's  your  third 
bother?" 

"  That  young  woman  has  made  up  her  mind  to 
go  out  in  the  boat  by  herself  the  very  fust  time 
78 


MATLACK'S  THREE  TROUBLES 

she  feels  like  it,"  said  Matlack  ;  "she  didn't  say  so 
with  her  mouth,  but  she  said  it  with  the  back  of 
her  head  and  her  shoulders,  and  I  want  to  know 
if  that  rule  of  yours  is  going  to  hold  good  this 
summer.  Women  is  gettin'  to  do  so  many  things 
they  didn't  use  to  that  I  didn't  know  but  what 
you'd  consider  they'd  got  far  enough  to  take 
themselves  out  on  the  lake,  and  if  you  do  think 
so,  I  don't  want  to  get  myself  in  hot  water  with 
those  people  and  then  find  you  don't  back  me  up." 

"  If  you  don't  want  to  get  yourself  into  hot 
water  with  me,  Phil  Matlack,  you'd  better  get  it 
into  your  head  just  as  soon  as  you  can  that  when 
I  make  a  rule  it's  a  rule,  and  I  don't  want  people 
comin'  to  me  and  talkin'  about  changes.  Women 
in  my  camp  don't  go  out  in  boats  by  themselves, 
and  it's  easy  enough  to  have  that  rule  kept  if 
you've  got  backbone  enough  to  do  it.  Keep  the 
boat  locked  to  the  shore  when  it  ain't  in  use,  and 
put  the  key  in  your  pocket,  and  if  anybody  gets 
it  that  'ain't  any  right  to  it,  that's  your  lookout. 
Now  that's  the  end  of  your  troubles,  I  hope. 
How's  things  goin'  on  generally  in  the  camp  ?" 

"Oh,  well  enough,"  said  Matlack.  "I  thought 
at  fust  the  old  lady'd  give  out  in  a  day  or  two, 
but  I've  taught  her  parlor -fishin',  which  she's 
took  to  quite  lively,  and  she's  got  used  to  the 
woods.  The  boss,  he  sticks  to  fishin',  as  if  it  was 
office-work,  and  as  for  the  rest  of  them,  I  guess 
they're  all  gettin'  more  and  more  willin'  to  stay." 

"Why?"  asked  Peter. 

"  Well,  one  of  them  is  a  gal  and  the  others  isn't," 
replied  Matlack,  "that's  about  the  p'int  of  it." 

During  Matlack's  walk  back  the  skies  cleared, 
79 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

and  when  he  reached  the  camp  he  found  Mrs. 
Archibald  seated  in  her  chair  near  the  edge  of 
the  lake,  a  dry  board  under  her  feet,  and  the 
bishop  standing  by  her,  putting  bait  on  her  hook, 
and  taking  the  fish  off  of  it  when  any  happened 
to  be  there.  Out  in  the  boat  sat  Mr.  Archibald, 
trusting  that  some  fish  might  approach  the  sur- 
face in  search  of  insects  disabled  by  the  rain. 
Farther  on,  at  a  place  by  the  water's  edge  that 
was  clear  of  bushes  and  undergrowth,  Martin  was 
giving  Miss  Dearborn  a  lesson  in  fly-fishing. 

"He's  a  mighty  good  fisherman,"  thought  Mat- 
lack,  looking  at  the  young  fellow  as  he  brought 
his  rod  back  from  the  water  with  a  long  graceful 
sweep,  and  then,  with  another  sweep  and  an  easy 
inclination  of  his  body  forward,  sending  the  fly  far 
out  on  the  smooth  surface  of  the  lake,  "  although 
there  ain't  no  need  to  tell  him  so  ;  and  I  don't 
wonder  she'd  rather  stand  and  watch  him  than 
try  to  do  it  herself." 

Walking  up  and  down  near  the  edge  of  the 
wood  were  Messrs.  Clyde  and  Raybold. 

Phil  smiled.  "  They  don't  seem  to  be  happy," 
he  said  to  himself.  "  I  guess  they're  hankerin'  to 
take  a  share  in  her  edication  ;  but  if  you  don't 
know  nothin'  yourself,  you  can't  edicate  other 
people." 

Matlack  directed  his  steps  towards  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald ;  but  before  he  reached  her  he  was  met  by 
the  bishop,  who  hurried  towards  him. 

"  I  shall  be  obliged  to  surrender  my  post  to 
you,"  he  said,  "  which  will  be  greatly  to  the  lady's 
satisfaction,  I  imagine,  fpr  I  must  appear  a  poor 
attendant  after  you." 

80 


MATLACK'S  THREE  TROUBLES 

"  Goin'  to  leave  us  ?"  said  Matlack.  "  You  look 
quite  spruced  up." 

The  bishop  smiled.  "You  allude,  I  suppose," 
said  he,  "  to  the  fact  that  my  hat  and  clothes  are 
brushed,  and  that  I  am  freshly  shaved  and  have 
on  a  clean  collar,  I  like  to  be  as  neat  as  I  can. 
This  is  a  gutta-percha  collar,  and  I  can  wash  it 
whenever  I  please  with  a  bit  of  damp  rag,  and 
it  is  my  custom  to  shave  every  day,  if  I  possibly 
can.  But  as  to  leaving  you,  I  shall  not  do  so  this 
evening.  I  have  promised  those  young  gentle- 
men who  so  kindly  invited  me  to  their  camp  that 
I  would  prepare  their  supper  for  them,  and  I 
must  now  go  to  make  the  fire  and  get  things  in 
readiness." 

"  Have  they  engaged  you  as  cook  and  general 
help  ?"  asked  Matlack. 

"Oh  no,"  said  the  bishop,  with  a  smile,  "they 
are  kind  and  I  am  grateful,  that  is  all." 


CHAPTER   X 
A  LADIES'  DAY  IN  CAMP 

Two  days  after  the  rainy  day  in  camp  Mr. 
Archibald  determined  to  take  the  direction  of 
affairs  into  his  own  hands,  so  far  as  he  should  be 
able.  Having  no  authority  over  the  two  young 
men  at  Camp  Roy,  he  had  hitherto  contented 
himself  with  a  disapproval  of  their  methods  of 
employing  their  time,  which  he  communicated 
only  to  his  wife.  But  now  he  considered  that,  as 
they  were  spending  so  much  of  their  time  in  h*is 
camp  and  so  little  in  their  own,  he  would  take 
charge  of  them  exactly  as  if  they  belonged  to 
his  party.  He  would  put  an  end,  if  possible,  to 
the  aimless  strolls  up  and  down  the  beach  with 
Margery,  and  the  long  conversations  of  which 
that  young  woman  had  grown  to  be  so  fond,  held 
sometimes  with  both  young  men,,  though  more 
frequently  with  one.  If  Clyde  and  Raybold  came 
into  the  woods  to  lounge  in  the  shade  and  talk  to 
a  girl,  they  must  go  to  some  other  camp  to  do  it. 
But  if  they  really  cared  to  range  the  forest,  either 
as  sportsmen  or  lovers  of  nature,  he  would  do  his 
best  to  help  them ;  so  this  day  he  organized  an 
expedition  to  a  low  mountain  about  two  miles 
away,  taking  Matlack  with  him  as  guide,  and  in- 
viting the  two  young  men  to  join  him.  They 


A    LADIES'    DAY    IN    CAMP 

had  assented  because  no  good  reason  for  declin- 
ing had  presented  itself,  and  because  Phil  Mat- 
lack  earnestly  urged  them  to  come  along  and  let 
him  show  them  what  a  real  forest  tramp  was 
like.  Before  his  recent  talk  with  Peter  Sadler, 
Phil  would  not  have  dared  to  go  out  into  the 
woods  in  company  with  the  bicycle  man. 

The  two  ladies  were  perfectly  willing  to  remain 
in  camp  under  the  charge  of  Martin,  who  was 
capable  of  defending  them  against  any  possible 
danger  ;  and  as  the  bishop  had  agreed  to  take 
charge  of  Camp  Roy  during  the  absence  of  its 
occupants,  Mr,  Archibald  planned  for  a  whole 
day's  tramp,  the  first  he  had  taken  since  they 
went  into  camp. 

When  Martin's  morning  work  was  done  he  ap- 
proached the  shady  spot  where  the  two  ladies  had 
established  themselves,  and  offered  to  continue 
his  lessons  in  fish-flying  if  Miss  Dearborn  so  de- 
sired. But  Miss  Dearborn  did  not  wish  to  take 
any  lessons  to-day.  She  would  rest  and  stay 
with  Mrs.  Archibald.  Even  the  elder  lady  did 
not  care  to  fish  that  morning.  The  day  was  hot 
and  the  shade  was  grateful. 

Martin  walked  away  dissatisfied.  In  his  opin- 
ion, there  had  never  been  a  day  more  suitable 
for  angling  ;  this  was  a  day  which  would  be  free 
from  interruptions,  either  from  two  young  fel- 
lows who  knew  nothing  about  real  game-fishing, 
or  from  Matlack,  who  always  called  him  away  to 
do  something  when  he  was  most  interested  in  his 
piscatorial  pedagogics.  This  was  a  day  when  he 
could  stand  by  that  lovely  girl,  give  her  the  rod, 
show  her  how  to  raise  it,  wave  it,  and  throw  it, 
83 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

and  sometimes  even  touch  her  hand  as  he  took  it 
from  her  or  gave  it  back,  watching  her  all  the 
time  with  an  admiration  and  delight  which  no 
speckled  trout  or  gamy  black  bass  had  ever  yet 
aroused  in  him,  and  all  this  without  fear  that  a 
gentleman  out  on  the  lake  might  possibly  be  ob- 
serving them  with  the  idea  that  he  was  more  in- 
terested in  his  work  than  the  ordinary  guide 
might  be  supposed  to  be.  But  luck  was  against 
him,  and  Martin,  who  did  not  in  the  least  con- 
sider himself  an  ordinary  guide,  walked  up  and 
down  in  moody  reflection,  or  grimly  threw  him- 
self upon  the  ground,  gazing  upward  at  the  sky — 
not  half  so  blue  as  he  was — but  never  walking  or 
resting  so  far  away  that  he  could  not  hear  the 
first  cry  from  her  should  snake,  bear,  dragon-fly, 
or  danger  of  any  kind  approach  her. 

To  the  ladies,  about  half  an  hour  later,  came 
the  bishop,  who,  newly  shaved  and  brushed,  wished 
them  good-morning,  and  offered  his  services  in 
any  manner  which  might  be  desired.  If  Mrs. 
Archibald  wished  to  fish  by  the  side  of  the  lake, 
he  was  at  her  service  ;  but  Mrs.  Archibald  did  not 
care  to  fish. 

"This  is  a  most  charming  day,"  said  the 
bishop,  removing  his  hat,  "but  I  suppose  it  is 
more  charming  to  me  because  it  is  my  last  day 
here." 

"  And  so  you  are  really  going  to  go  ?"  said  Mrs. 
Archibald,  smiling. 

"  I  suppose  you  think  I  am  not  likely  to  get 
there,"  said  he,  "but  really  I  have  stayed  here 
long  enough,  and  for  several  reasons." 

"Sit  down,"  said  Margery,  "and  tell  us  what 
84 


A    LADIES'    DAY    IN    CAMP 

they  are.     There  is  a  nice  little  rock  with  some 
moss  on  it." 

The  bishop  promptly  accepted  the  invitation 
and  seated  himself.  As  he  did  so,  Martin,  at  a  lit- 
tle distance,  scowled,  folded  his  arms,  and  slightly 
increased  the  length  of  his  sentinel-like  walk. 

"Yes,"  said  the  bishop,  brushing  some  pine 
leaves  from  his  threadbare  trousers,  "during  the 
time  that  I  have  accepted  the  hospitality  of  those 
young  gentlemen  I  feel  that  I  have  in  a  great 
measure  repaid  them  for  their  kindness,  but  now 
I  see  that  I  shall  become  a  burden  and  an  ex- 
pense to  them.  In  the  first  place,  I  eat  a  great 
deal  more  than  both  of  them  put  together,  so  that 
the  provisions  they  brought  with  them  will  be 
exhausted  much  sooner  than  they  expected.  I 
am  also  of  the  opinion  that  they  are  getting  tired 
of  eating  in  their  own  camp,  but  as  I  make  a  point 
of  preparing  the  meals  at  stated  hours,  of  course 
they  feel  obliged  to  partake  of  them." 

"  By  which  you  mean,  I  suppose,"  said  Mrs. 
Archibald,  "  that  if  they  had  not  you  to  cook  for 
them  they  would  be  apt  to  take  a  good  many 
meals  with  us,  as  they  did  when  they  first  came, 
and  which  would  be  cheaper  and  pleasanter." 

"  I  beg,  madam,"  said  the  bishop,  quickly,  "  that 
you  will  not  think  that  they  have  said  anything 
of  the  sort.  I  simply  inferred,  from  remarks  I 
have  heard,  that  one  of  them,  at  least,  is  very 
much  of  the  opinion  you  have  just  stated ;  there- 
fore I  feel  that  I  cannot  be  welcome  much  longer 
in  Camp  Roy.  There  is  also  another  reason  why 
I  should  go  now.  I  have  a  business  prospect  be- 
fore me." 

85 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald. 
"  Is  it  a  good  one  ?" 

"I  think  it  is,"  said  the  bishop.  "I  have  been 
considering  it  earnestly,  and  the  more  I  fix  my 
mind  upon  it  the  greater  appear  its  advantages. 
I  don't  mind  in  the  least  telling  you  what  it  is. 
A  gentleman  who  is  acquainted  with  my  family 
and  whom  I  have  met  two  or  three  times,  but  not 
recently,  possesses  a  very  fine  estate  some  thirty 
miles  south  of  this  place.  He  has  been  in  Europe 
for  some  time,  but  is  expected  to  return  to  his 
country  mansion  about  the  end  of  this  week.  It 
is  my  purpose  to  offer  myself  to  him  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  private  librarian.  I  do  not  think  it  will 
be  difficult  to  convince  him  that  I  have  many 
qualifications  for  the  situation." 

"Has  he  so  many  books  that  he  needs  a  libra- 
rian ?"  asked  Margery. 

"No,"  said  the  bishop,  "I  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  he  has  any  more  books  than  the  or- 
dinary country  gentleman  possesses,  but  he  ought 
to  have.  He  has  a  very  large  income,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  establishing  for  his  family  what  is  in- 
tended to  become,  in  time,  an  ancestral  mansion. 
It  is  obvious  to  any  one  of  intelligence  that  such 
a  grand  mansion  would  not  be  complete  without 
a  well-selected  library,  and  that  such  a  library 
could  not  be  selected  or  arranged  by  an  ordinary 
man  of  affairs.  Consequently,  unless  he  has  a 
competent  person  to  perform  this  duty  for  him, 
his  library,  for  a  long  time,  will  be  insignificant. 
When  I  shall  put  the  question  before  him,  I  have 
no  doubt  that  he  will  see  and  appreciate  the  force 
and  value  of  my  statements.  Such  a  position 
86 


A    LADIES'    DAY    IN    CAMP 

will  suit  me  admirably.  I  shall  ask  but  little  sal- 
ary, but  it  will  give  me  something  far  better  than 
money — an  opportunity  to  select  from  the  book 
marts  of  the  whole  world  the  literature  in  which 
I  delight.  Consequently,  you  will  see  that  it  is 
highly  desirable  that  I  should  be  on  hand  when 
this  gentleman  arrives  upon  his  estate." 

With  a  look  of  gentle  pity  Mrs.  Archibald  gazed 
at  the  smooth  round  face  of  the  bishop,  flushed 
with  the  delights  of  anticipation  and  brightened 
by  the  cheery  smile  which  nearly  always  accom- 
panied his  remarks.  "And  is  that  your  only  pros- 
pect ?"  she  said.  "  I  don't  want  to  discourage 
you,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  if  you  had  some  reg- 
ular business — and  you  are  not  too  old  to  learn 
something  of  the  sort — it  would  be  far  better  for 
you  than  trying  to  obtain  the  mythical  position 
you  speak  of.  I  see  that  you  are  a  man  of  intel- 
ligence and  education,  and  I  believe  that  you 
would  succeed  in  almost  any  calling  to  which  you 
would  apply  yourself  with  earnestness  and  in- 
dustry. You  must  excuse  me  for  speaking  so 
plainly,  but  I  am  much  older  than  you  are  and  I 
do  it  for  your  good." 

"  Madam,"  exclaimed  the  bishop,  radiant  with 
grateful  emotion,  "  I  thank  you  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart  for  what  you  have  said.  I  thank  you 
for  your  appreciation  of  me  and  for  the  generous 
motive  of  your  words,  but,  to  be  frank  with  you, 
I  am  not  suited  to  a  calling  such  as  you  have 
mentioned.  I  have  many  qualities  which  I  well 
know  would  promote  my  fortunes  were  they 
properly  applied,  but  that  application  is  difficult, 
for  the  reason  that  my  principal  mental  character- 
8? 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

istic  is  indefiniteness.  When  but  a  little  child  I 
was  indefinite.  Nobody  knew  what  I  was  going 
to  do,  or  how  I  would  turn  out ;  no  one  has  since 
known,  and  no  one  knows  now.  In  whatever 
way  I  have  turned  my  attention  in  my  endeavors 
to  support  myself,  I  have  been  obstructed  and 
even  appalled  by  the  definiteness  of  the  ordinary 
pursuits  of  life.  Now  the  making  of  a  private  li- 
brary is  in  itself  an  indefinite  occupation.  It  has 
not  its  lines,  its  rules,  its  limitations.  But  do  not 
think,  kind  lady,  that  I  shall  always  depend  upon 
such  employment.  Should  I  obtain  it,  I  should 
hold  it  only  so  long  as  it  would  be  necessary,  and 
it  may  be  necessary  for  but  a  little  while.  Do 
you  care  to  hear  of  my  permanent  prospects?" 
said  he,  looking  from  one  lady  to  the  other. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Margery,  "  we  would  like  to 
hear  all  you  have  to  tell." 

"  Well  then,"  said  the  bishop,  folding  his  arms 
and  smiling  effusively,  but  with  a  gentle  curbing 
of  his  ordinary  cheerfulness,  "  I  will  inform  you 
that  I  have  an  uncle  who  is  a  man  of  wealth  and 
well  on  in  years.  Unfortunately,  or  fortunately 
it  may  be,  this  uncle  greatly  dislikes  me.  He 
objects  so  strongly  to  my  methods  of  thought 
and  action,  and  even  to  my  physical  presence, 
that  he  cannot  bear  to  hear  me  speak  or  even  to 
look  at  me,  and  the  last  time  I  was  in  his  com- 
pany, about  four  years  ago,  he  told  me  that  he 
would  leave  me  a  legacy  on  condition  that  he 
should  never  hear  from  me  or  see  me  again.  He 
promised  to  make  the  proper  provision  in  his  will 
immediately,  but  declared,  and  I  know  he  will 
keep  his  word,  that  if  he  ever  received  a  letter 

88 


A    LADIES'    DAY    IN    CAMP 

from  me  or  even  saw  me  or  heard  my  voice  he 
would  instantly  strike  out  that  clause.  I  appreci- 
ated and  respected  his  feelings,  and  accepted  the 
condition.  From  that  moment  I  have  not  written 
to  him,  nor  shall  I  ever  write  to  him,  and  I  shall 
never  go  near  him  so  long  as  he  is  alive.  As  I 
said,  he  is  of  advanced  age,  and  it  is  impossible 
that  he  can  long  survive.  When  his  demise  takes 
place  my  circumstances  will,  I  believe,  be  satis- 
factory." 

"  Did  your  uncle  say  how  much  he  would  leave 
you  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"  No,  madam,"  returned  the  other,  "  he  did  not, 
but  I  feel  sure  that  the  sum  will  be  measured 
by  his  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  his  existence 
is  entirely  freed  from  me." 

"  Really,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  there  is  noth- 
ing about  you  so  indefinite  as  your  prospects." 

"  And  it  seems  horrible  to  me,"  said  Margery, 
"to  be  hoping  that  some  one  may  die  in  order 
that  you  may  be  better  off,  for,  as  you  want 
money  so  much,  you  must  hope  that  your  uncle 
will  die." 

The  bishop  smiled  and  rose.  "And  now,"  said 
he,  "  I  suppose  I  must  go  to  prepare  the  dinner 
at  Camp  Roy.  There  is  nobody  but  myself  to 
eat  it,  but  I  have  assumed  the  duty,  and  it  must 
be  performed.  Good-morning.  By  your  leave,  I 
shall  look  in  upon  you  again." 

Mrs.  Archibald  had  a  mind  to  ask  him  to  stay 
and  dine  with  them,  but  having  noticed  an  un- 
friendly expression  on  the  face  of  Martin  when 
his  gloomy  walk  brought  him  in  her  direction, 
she  thought  it  would  not  be  wise  to  do  so. 
89 


CHAPTER    XI 

MARGERY   TAKES   THE    OARS 

AFTER  dinner  Mrs.  Archibald  prepared  herself 
for  a  nap,  the  most  delightful  thing  she  could 
think  of  during  the  warm  hours  of  such  a  day. 
Margery-,  after  seeing  the  elder  lady  comfortably 
disposed  in  the  shady  sitting-room  of  the  cabin, 
went  out-of-doors  with  no  doubt  in  her  mind  as 
to  what  would  be  for  her  the  most  delightful 
thing  to  do.  She  would  take  a  row  on  the  lake 
all  by  herself. 

She  went  down  to  the  boat,  which  was  partly 
drawn  up  on  the  beach  and  fastened  to  a  heavy 
stake.  But  when  she  reached  it  she  was  disgusted 
to  find  that  the  chain  was  secured  to  the  stake  by 
a  padlock.  The  oars  were  in  the  boat,  and  she 
could  easily  have  pushed  it  into  the  water,  but 
she  could  not  set  it  free  without  the  key  to  the 
padlock. 

"  I  do  believe,"  she  exclaimed,  "  that  the  will  of 
that  horrid  Mr.  Sadler  is  like  gas.  It  goes  every- 
where, even  to  the  tops  of  the  houses  and  under 
the  beds."  But  she  did  not  give  up  her  inten- 
tion. She  tried  to  detach  the  chain  from  the 
boat,  but  finding  this  impossible,  she  thought  of 
going  for  Martin.  Perhaps  he  might  have  a  key. 
This  idea,  however,  she  quickly  put  aside.  If  he 
90 


MARGERY    TAKES    THE    OARS 

had  a  key,  and  gave  it  to  her,  she  might  get  him 
into  trouble,  and,  besides,  she  did  not  believe  that 
he  would  let  her  go  alone,  and  in  any  other  way 
she  did  not  wish  to  go.  Standing  with  her  pretty 
brows  knit,  and  one  heel  deep  in  the  soft  ground 
into  which  she  had  stamped  it,  she  heard  ap- 
proaching footsteps,  and  turning,  saw  the  bishop. 
He  came  forward  with  a  buoyant  step. 

."  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you,  Miss  Dear- 
born ?"  he  said.  "  Do  you  wish  to  go  out  on  the 
lake  ?  Do  you  want  some  one  to  row  you  ?" 

"  Yes  and  no,"  said  Margery.  "  I  want  to  go 
out  in  the  boat,  and  I  don't  want  anybody  to  row 
me.  But  that  chain  is  fastened  with  an  abomi- 
nable padlock,  and  I  cannot  launch  the  boat." 

"  One  of  your  guides  is  here,"  said  he.  "  Per- 
haps I  can  get  a  key  from  him." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Margery,  quickly ;  "he  must  not 
know  about  it.  There  is  a  Sadler  law  against  it, 
and  he  is  employed  by  Sadler." 

"  It  is  very  securely  fastened,"  said  the  bishop, 
examining  the  lock  and  chain.  "It  is  the  work 
of  the  guide  Matlack,  I  have  no  doubt.  But, 
Miss  Dearborn,"  said  he,  with  a  bright  smile, 
"there  is  a  boat  at  Camp  Roy.  That  is  not 
locked,  and  I  can  bring  it  here  in  twenty  min- 
utes." 

"No,"  said  Margery;  "I  don't  want  that  boat. 
I've  seen  it.  It  is  a  clumsy  old  thing,  and,  be- 
sides, it  leaks.  I  want  this  one.  This  is  just  the 
kind  of  boat  I  want  to  row.  It  is  too  bad !  If  I 
could  get  off  now  there  would  be  nobody  to  hin- 
der me,  for  Martin  is  washing  the  dinner  dishes, 
or  doing  something  of  that  kind,  and  whenever 
9* 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

he  does  house-work  he  always  keeps  himself  out 
of  sight." 

The  bishop  examined  the  stake.  It  was  a  stout 
little  tree  trunk  driven  deep  into  the  ground  and 
projecting  about  five  feet  above  the  surface,  with 
the  chain  so  wrapped  around  it  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  force  it  up  or  down.  Seizing  the  stake 
near  the  top,  the  bishop  began  to  push  it  back- 
ward and  forward,  and  being  a  man  of  great 
strength,  he  soon  loosened  it  so  much  that,  stoop- 
ing, he  was  able  to  pull  it  from  the  ground. 

"Hurrah  !"  exclaimed  Margery.  "It  came  up 
just  like  pulling  a  tooth." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  radiant  bishop,  "  the  good  Mat- 
lack  may  be  very  careful  about  fastening  a  boat, 
but  I  think  I  have  got  the  better  of  him  this 
time ;  and  now  I  will  put  the  stake,  chain  and  all, 
in  the  bow.  That  is  the  best  way  of  disposing  of 
them.  Are  you  sure  that  you  prefer  going  alone  ? 
I  shall  be  delighted  to  row  you  if  you  wish  me 
to." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Margery  ;  "  I  am  just  wild  to  row 
myself,  and  I  want  to  hurry  and  get  off  for  fear 
Martin  will  be  coming  down  here." 

"  Are  you  sure  you  understand  rowing  and  the 
management  of  a  boat  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Oh  yes,"  she  replied,  "  I  can  row  ;  of  course  I 
can.  I  will  get  in,  and  then  you  can  push  off  the 
boat." 

"Allow  me,"  said  the  bishop.  But  before  he 
could  reach  her  to  help  her,  Margery  stepped 
quickly  into  the  boat  and  was  about  to  seat  her- 
self. 

"  If  you  will  take  the  seat  next  to  the  stern," 
92 


MARGERY    TAKES    THE    OARS 

said  the  bishop,  holding  the  boat  so  that  it  would 
be  steady,  "  I  think  that  will  be  better.  Then  the 
weight  of  the  stake  in  the  bow  will  put  the  boat 
on  an  even  keel." 

"All  right,"  said  Margery,  accepting  his  sug- 
gestion and  seating  herself.  "  Now  just  wait 
until  I  get  the  oars  into  the  rowlocks,  and  then 
you  can  push  me  off." 

"  Which  way  do  you  intend  to  row  ?"  asked  the 
bishop. 

"  Oh,  I  shall  go  down  towards  the  lower  end  of 
the  lake,  because  that  way  there  are  more  bushes 
along  the  banks  and  Martin  will  be  less  apt  to  see 
me.  If  I  go  the  other  way  I  will  be  in  plain  sight 
of  the  camp,  and  he  may  think  he  ought  to  do 
something — fire  a  gun  across  my  bows  to  bring 
me  to,  maybe,  as  they  do  at  sea." 

"Hardly,"  said  the  bishop,  "but  let  me  ad- 
vise you  not  to  go  very  far  from  the  shore,  so 
that  if  you  feel  tired  you  can  come  in  easily, 
and  if  you  will  allow  me  I  will  walk  down  the 
shore  in  the  direction  in  which  you  intend  to 
row." 

"Oh,  I  am  not  going  to  get  tired,"  said  she. 
"  I  could  row  all  day.  It  is  splendid  to  be  in  a 
boat  all  by  myself  and  have  the  whole  manage- 
ment of  it.  Now  please  push  me  off." 

With  some  reluctance,  but  with  a  sincere  desire 
to  make  the  young  girl  happy,  which  could  not 
be  overcome  by  prudence — at  least  by  such  pru- 
dence as  he  possessed — the  bishop,  with  a  strong, 
steady  push,  sent  the  boat  well  out  on  the  surface 
of  the  water. 

"That  was  beautifully  done,"  Margery  called 
93 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

4ft 

back  to  him.  "  Now  I  have  room  enough  to  turn 
around  without  any  trouble  at  all." 

She  turned  the  boat  about  with  its  bow  tow- 
ards the  lower  end  of  the  lake,  but  it  was  not  done 
without  trouble.  "  I  have  not  rowed  for  a  good 
while,"  she  said,  "but  I  am  getting  used  to  the 
oars  already.  Now  then,  I'm  off,"  and  she  began 
to  pull  with  a  strength  which,  had  it  been  suit- 
ably paired  with  skill,  would  have  made  her  an 
excellent  amateur  oarswoman.  But  the  place  of 
skill  was  supplied  by  enthusiasm  and  determina- 
tion. Once  or  twice  an  oar  slipped  from  the  row- 
lock and  she  nearly  went  over  backward,  and 
several  times  one  of  the  blades  got  under  the 
water  with  the  flat  side  up,  so  that  she  had  diffi- 
culty in  getting  it  out.  She  raised  her  oars  much 
too  high  in  the  air,  but  she  counterbalanced  this 
by  sinking  them  very  deep  into  the  water.  But 
she  got  on,  and  although  her  course  was  some- 
what irregular,  its  general  trend  was  in  the  direc- 
tion desired. 

The  bishop  walked  along  the  bank,  keeping  as 
near  to  the  water  as  he  could.  Sometimes  masses 
of  shrubbery  shut  off  all  view  of  the  lake,  and 
then  there  would  be  an  open  space  where  he 
would  stop  and  watch  the  boat. 

"  Please  keep  near  the  shore,  Miss  Dearborn," 
he  called,  "  that  will  be  better,  I  think,  and  it  is 
certainly  more  shady  and  pleasant  than  farther 
out." 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,"  cried  Margery,  pull- 
ing away  in  high  good-humor,  "you  think  it  is 
safer  near  the  shore  ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  row 
very  far  this  time,  and  after  a  little  while  I  may 
94 


MARGERY    TAKES    THE    OARS 

pull  the  boat  in  and  rest  for  a  time  before  start- 
ing back,"  and  then  she  rowed  on  with  renewed 
energy. 

The  next  time  the  bishop  was  able  to  hail  the 
boat,  it  was  at  a  point  where  he  was  obliged  to 
push  his  way  through  the  bushes  in  order  to  see 
out  upon  the  lake. 

"  Miss  Dearborn,"  he  called,  "  I  think  you  are  a 
great  deal  too  far  from  shore,  and  you  must  be 
getting  very  tired  and  hot.  Your  face  is  greatly 
flushed.  I  will  hurry  along  and  see  if  I  can  find 
a  good  place  for  you  to  stop  and  cool  yourself." 

"  I  am  all  right,"  cried  Margery,  resting  on  her 
oars.  "  I  get  along  very  well,  only  the  boat 
doesn't  steer  properly.  I  think  it  is  because  of 
the  weight  of  that  stick  in  the  bow.  I  suppose  I 
cannot  get  rid  of  it  ?" 

"Oh  no  !"  cried  the  bishop,  in  alarm  ;  "please 
don't  think  of  it !  But  if  you  touch  shore  at  the 
first  open  space,  I  think  I  can  arrange  it  better 
for  you." 

"  Very  good,"  said  she  ;  "  you  go  ahead  and  find 
such  a  place,  and  I  will  come  in." 

"  If  you  touch  shore,"  said  the  bishop  to  him- 
self, "  you  don't  go  out  again  in  that  boat  alone  ! 
You  don't  know  how  to  row  at  all." 

The  bishop  ran  a  hundred  yards  or  more  before 
he  found  a  place  at  which  a  boat  could  be  beached. 
It  was  not  a  very  good  place,  but  if  he  could  reach 
out  and  seize  the  bow,  that  would  be  enough 
for  him.  He  was  strong  enough  to  pull  that  boat 
over  a  paved  street. 

As  he  looked  out  over  the  water  he  saw  that 
Margery  had  progressed  considerably  since  he 
95 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

had  seen  her  last,  but  she  was  still  farther  from 
shore  than  before. 

"  Row  straight  towards  me !"  he  shouted.  "  Here 
is  a  fine  landing-place,  cool  and  shady." 

She  looked  around  and  managed  to  turn  the 
boat's  head  in  his  direction.  Then  she  rowed 
hard,  pulling  and  splashing,  and  evidently  a  little 
tired.  She  was  strong,  but  this  unusual  exercise 
was  a  trial  to  her  muscles.  Perhaps,  too,  she  felt 
that  the  bishop  was  watching  her,  and  that  made 
her  a  little  nervous,  for  she  could  not  help  being 
aware  that  she  was  not  handling  the  oars  as  well 
as  when  she  started  out.  With  a  strong  pull  at 
her  right  oar  to  turn  the  boat  inland,  she  got 
her  left  oar  tangled  between  the  water  and  the 
boat,  so  it  seemed  to  her,  and  lost  her  hold  of  it. 
In  a  moment  it  was  overboard  and  floating  on 
the  lake. 

Leaning  over  the  side  of  the  boat,  she  made  a 
grasp  at  the  oar,  but  it  was  too  far  for  her  to 
reach  it ;  and  then,  by  a  spasmodic  movement 
of  the  other  oar,  the  distance  was  increased. 

The  bishop's  face  grew  pale.  As  he  looked  at 
her  he  saw  that  she  was  moving  away  from  the 
floating  oar,  and  now  he  understood  why  she 
had  progressed  so  well.  There  was  a  consid- 
erable current  in  the  lake  which  had  carried 
her  along,  and  was  now  moving  the  heavy  boat 
much  faster  than  it  moved  the  oar.  What  should 
he  tell  her  to  do  ?  If  she  could  put  her  single 
oar  out  at  the  stern,  she  might  scull  the  boat ; 
but  he  was  sure  she  did  not  understand  sculling, 
and  to  try  it  she  would  have  to  stand  up,  and  this 
would  be  madness. 

96 


MARGERY    TAKES    THE    OARS 

She  now  took  the  other  oar  from  the  rowlock, 
and  was  about  to  rise,  when  the  bishop  shouted 
to  her. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?"  he  cried. 

"  I  am  going  to  the  stern,"  she  said,  "  to  see  if 
I  cannot  reach  that  oar  with  this  one.  Perhaps 
I  can  pull  it  in." 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  don't  do  that !"  he  cried. 
"  Don't  stand  up,  or  the  boat  will  tip,  and  you 
will  fall  overboard." 

"  But  what  can  I  do  ?"  she  called  back.  "  I  can't 
row  with  one  oar." 

"  Try  rowing  a  little  on  one  side,  and  then  on 
the  other,"  said  he.  "  Perhaps  you  can  bring  in 
the  boat  in  that  way." 

She  followed  his  suggestion,  but  very  awk- 
wardly, and  he  saw  plainly  that  she  was  tired. 
Instead  of  approaching  the  shore,  the  boat  con- 
tinued to  float  down  the  lake. 

Margery  turned  again.  "Bishop,"  she  cried, 
"  what  shall  I  do  ?  I  must  do  something,  or  I  can't 
get  ashore  at  all." 

She  did  not  look  frightened ;  there  was  more  of 
annoyance  in  her  expression,  as  if  she  thought  it 
impertinent  in  fate  to  treat  her  in  this  way,  and 
she  would  not  stand  it. 

"If  I  had  thought  of  the  current,"  said  the 
bishop  to  himself,  "  I  would  never  have  let  her  go 
out  alone,  and  she  can't  be  trusted  in  that  boat 
another  minute  longer.  She  will  do  something 
desperate."  So  saying,  the  bishop  took  off  his 
hat  and  threw  it  on  the  ground.  Then  he  un- 
buttoned his  coat  and  began  to  take  it  off,  but 
he  suddenly  changed  his  mind.  Even  in  that 
G  97 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

wilderness  and  under  these  circumstances  he 
must  appear  respectable,  so  he  buttoned  his 
coat  again,  hastily  took  off  his  shoes,  and,  with- 
out hesitating,  walked  into  the  water  until  it 
was  above  his  waist,  and  then  calling  to  Margery 
that  he  was  coming  to  her,  he  began  to  swim  out 
into  the  lake.  He  did  not  strike  out  immediately 
for  the  boat,  but  directed  his  course  towards  the 
floating  oar.  Turning  his  head  frequently  towards 
Margery,  he  could  see  that  she  was  sitting  per- 
fectly still,  watching  him,  and  so  he  kept  on  with 
a  good  heart. 

The  bishop  was  a  powerful  swimmer,  but  he 
found  great  difficulty  in  making  his  way  through 
the  water,  on  account  of  the  extreme  tightness 
of  his  clothes.  It  seemed  to  him  that  his  arms 
and  legs  were  bandaged  in  splints,  as  if  he  had 
been  under  a  surgeon's  care  ;  but  still  he  struck 
out  as  well  as  he  could,  and  in  time  reached  the 
oar.  Pushing  this  before  him  to  the  boat,  Mar- 
gery took  hold  of  it. 

"You  swim  splendidly,"  said  she.  "You  can 
climb  in  right  here." 

But  the  bishop  knew  better  than  that,  and 
worked  his  way  round  to  the  stern,  and  after 
holding  on  a  little  while  to  get  his  breath,  he 
managed  to  clamber  into  the  boat. 

"Was  the  water  very  cold?"  said  she. 

On  his  replying  that  it  was,  she  said  she 
thought  so  because  he  seemed  stiff. 

"Now,  Miss  Dearborn,"  said  he,  "I  have  made 
the  stern  seat  very  wet,  but  I  don't  believe  you 
will  mind  that,  and  if  you  will  sit  here  I  will  take 
the  oars  and  row  you  in." 
98 


MARGERY    TAKES    THE    OARS 

"  Oh,  I  think  I  can  do  that  myself,"  said  Mar- 
gery. "  I  am  rested  now,  and  I  am  ever  so  much 
obliged  to  you  for  getting  my  oar  for  me." 

Under  almost  any  circumstances  the  bishop 
could  smile,  and  now  he  smiled  at  the  ridiculous- 
ness of  the  idea  of  Margery's  rowing  that  boat 
back  against  the  current,  and  with  him  in  it. 

"  Indeed,"  said  he,  "  I  must  insist.  I  shall  freeze 
to  death  if  I  don't  warm  myself  by  exercise."  So, 
reaching  out  his  hand,  he  assisted  Margery  to  the 
stern,  and  seating  himself  in  her  place,  he  took 
the  oars,  which  she  had  drawn  in. 

"I  don't  see  why  I  could  not  make  the  boat 
go  along  that  way,"  said  she,  as  they  began  to 
move  steadily  towards  the  camp.  "  I  believe  I 
could  do  it  if  people  would  only  let  me  practise 
by  myself ;  but  they  always  want  to  show  me 
how,  and  I  hate  to  have  anybody  show  me  how. 
It  is  funny,"  she  continued,  "that  you  seem  so 
very  wet  all  but  your  collar.  That  looks  as 
smooth  and  nice  as  if  it  had  just  come  from  the 
laundry." 

The  bishop  laughed.  "That  is  because  it  is 
gutta-percha,"  he  said,  "intended  for  rough 
use  in  camp  ;  but  the  rest  of  my  habiliments 
were  not  intended  for  wet  weather." 

"And  you  have  no  hat,"  said  she.  "Doesn't 
the  sun  hurt  your  head  ?" 

"  My  head  does  feel  a  little  warm,"  said  he, 
"but  I  didn't  want  to  row  back  to  the  place 
where  I  left  my  hat.  It  was  not  a  good  landing- 
place,  after  all.  Besides,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  I 
never  thought  of  my  hat  or  my  shoes." 
99 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE      BISHOP     ENGAGES     THE     ATTENTION     OP     THE 
GUIDES 

WHEN  the  boat  touched  the  shore  Margery  ran 
to  the  cabin  to  assure  Mrs.  Archibald  of  her 
safety,  if  she  had  been  missed. 

The  bishop  was  sticking  the  stake  in  the  hole 
from  which  he  had  pulled  it,  when  Martin  came 
running  to  him. 

"  That's  a  pretty  piece  of  business  !"  cried  the 
young  man.  "  If  you  wanted  to  go  out  in  the 
boat,  why  didn't  you  come  to  me  for  the  key? 
You've  got  no  right  to  pull  up  the  stakes  we've 
driven  down.  That's  the  same  thing  as  stealing 
the  boat.  What's  the  matter  ?  Did  you  tumble 
overboard?  You  must  be  a  pretty  sort  of  an 
oarsman !  If  the  ladies  want  to  go  out  in  the 
boat,  I  am  here  to  take  them.  I'd  like  you  to 
understand  that." 

As  has  been  said  before,  the  bishop  could  smile 
under  almost  any  circumstances,  and  he  smiled 
now,  but  at  the  same  time  his  brow  wrinkled, 
which  was  not  common  when  he  smiled. 

"  I  am  going  down  to  the  shore  to  get  my  hat 
and  shoes,"  he  said,  "and  I  would  like  you  to 
come  along  with  me.  I  can't  stand  here  and  talk 
to  you." 

IOO 


THE    BISHOP    AND    THE    GUIDES 

"  What  do  you  want?"  said  Martin. 

"  Come  along  and  see,"  said  the  bishop  ;  "  that 
is,  if  you  are  not  afraid." 

That  was  enough,  and  the  young  man  walked 
behind  him  until  they  reached  the  spot  where  the 
bishop  had  taken  to  the  water.  Then  he  stopped, 
and  explained  to  Martin  all  that  had  happened. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "what  have  you  got  to  say?" 

Martin,  now  that  he  knew  that  the  bishop  had 
plunged  into  the  water  for  the  sake  of  the  beauti- 
ful Margery,  was  more  jealously  angry  than  when 
he  had  supposed  he  had  merely  taken  her  out  to 
row. 

"  I  haven't  anything  to  say,"  he  answered, 
shortly,  "except  that  parsons  had  better  attend 
to  their  own  business,  if  they  have  any,  and  let 
young  ladies  and  boats  alone." 

"Oh,  that's  all,  is  it?"  said  the  bishop,  and  with 
a  quick  step  forward  he  clutched  the  young  man's 
arm  with  his  right  hand,  while  he  seized  his  belt 
with  the  other,  and  then  with  a  great  heave  sent 
him  out  into  the  water  fully  ten  feet  from  the 
shore.  With  a  splash  like  a  dropped  anchor 
Martin  disappeared  from  view,  but  soon  arose, 
his  head  and  shoulders  above  the  surface,  where 
he  stood  for  a  moment,  spluttering  and  winking 
and  almost  dazed. 

The  bishop  stood  on  the  bank  and  smiled. 
"Did  you  fall  overboard?"  said  he.  "You  must 
be  a  pretty  sort  of  a  boatman  !" 

Without  replying,  Martin  began  to  wade  ashore. 

"  Come  on,"  said  the  bishop  ;  "  if  you  can't  get 
up  the  bank,  I'll  help  you." 

But  Martin  needed  no  help ;  he  scrambled  to 

101 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

the  bank,  shook  himself,  and  then  advanced  upon 
the  bishop,  fire  in  his  eye  and  his  fist  clinched. 

"  Stop,  young  man,".said  the  other.  "  It  would 
not  be  fair  to  you  if  I  did  not  tell  you  that  I  am 
a  boxer  and  a  heavy-weight,  and  that  I  threw  you 
into  the  water  because  I  didn't  want  to  damage 
your  face  and  eyes.  You  were  impertinent,  but 
I  am  satisfied,  and  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is 
to  go  and  change  your  clothes  before  any  one 
sees  you  in  that  plight.  You  are  better  off  than 
I  am,  because  I  have  no  clothes  with  which  to 
make  a  change."  So  saying,  he  sat  down  and  be- 
gan to  put  on  his  shoes. 

Martin  stood  for  a  moment  and  looked  at  the 
bishop ,  he  thought  of  Margery  and  a  possible 
black  eye,  and  then  he  walked  as  fast  as  he  could 
to  his  tent  to  get  some  dry  clothes.  He  was  very 
wet,  he  was  very  hot,  he  was  very  angry,  and 
what  made  him  more  angry  than  anything  else 
was  a  respect  for  the  bishop  which  was  rising  in 
him  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts  to  keep  it  down. 

When  Mr.  Archibald  and  his  party  came  back 
to  camp  late  in  the  afternoon,  Margery,  who  had 
already  told  her  story  to  Mrs.  Archibald,  told  it 
to  each  of  the  others.  Mr.  Archibald  was  greatly 
moved  by  the  account  of  the  bishop's  bravery. 
He  thoroughly  appreciated  the  danger  to  which 
Margery  had  been  exposed.  There  were  doubt- 
less persons  who  could  be  trusted  so  sit  quietly 
in  a  little  boat  with  only  one  oar,  and  to  float 
upon  a  lake  out  of  sight  and  sound  of  human 
beings  until  another  boat  could  be  secured  and 
brought  to  the  rescue,  but  Margery  was  not  one 
of  these  persons.  Her  greatest  danger  had  been 
102 


THE    BISHOP    AND    THE    GUIDES 

that  she  was  a  child  of  impulse.  He  went  imme- 
diately to  Camp  Roy  to  see  the  bishop  and  ex- 
press his  gratitude,  for  no  matter  how  great  the 
foolish  good -nature  of  the  man  had  been,  his 
brave  rescue  of  the  girl  was  all  that  could  be 
thought  of  now. 

He  found  the  bishop  in  bed,  Mr.  Clyde  preparing 
the  supper,  and  Mr.  Raybold  in  a  very  bad  humor. 

"  It's  the  best  place  for  me,"  said  the  bishop, 
gayly,  from  under  a  heavy  army  blanket.  "  My 
bed  is  something  like  the  carpets  in  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's time,  and  this  shelter-tent  is  not  one  which 
can  be  called  commodious,  but  I  shall  stay  here 
until  morning,  and  then  I  am  sure  I  shall  be  none 
the  worse  for  my  dip  into  the  cold  lake." 

As  Mr.  Archibald  had  seen  the  black  garments 
of  the  bishop  hanging  on  a  bush  as  he  approached 
the  tent,  he  was  not  surprised  to  find  their  owner 
in  bed. 

"  No,"  said  the  bishop,  when  Mr.  Archibald 
had  finished  what  he  had  to  say,  "there  is  noth- 
ing to  thank  me  for.  It  was  a  stupid  thing  to 
launch  a  young  girl  out  upon  what,  by  some  very 
natural  bit  of  carelessness,  might  have  become  to 
her  the  waters  of  eternity,  and  it  was  my  very 
commonplace  duty  to  get  her  out  of  the  danger 
into  which  I  had  placed  her  ;  so  this,  my  dear 
sir,  is  really  all  there  is  to  say  about  the  matter." 

Mr.  Archibald  differed  with  him  for  about  ten 
minutes,  and  then  returned  to  his  camp. 

Phil  Matlack  was  also  affected  by  the  account 
of  the  rescue,  and  he  expressed  his  feelings  to 
Martin. 

"  He  pulled  up  the  stake,  did  he  ?"  said  Phil. 
103 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  Well,  I'll  make  him  pull  up  his  stakes,  and  be- 
fore he  goes  I've  a  mind  to  teach  him  not  to 
meddle  with  other  people's  affairs." 

"  If  I  were  you,"  said  Martin,  "I  wouldn't  try 
to  teach  him  anything." 

"  You  think  he  is  too  stupid  to  learn  ?"  said 
Matlack,  getting  more  and  more  angry  at  the 
bishop's  impertinent  and  inexcusable  conduct. 
"Well,  I've  taught  stupid  people  before  this." 

"He's  a  bigger  man  than  you  are,"  said  Martin. 

Matlack  withdrew  the  knife  from  the  loaf  of 
bread  he  was  cutting,  and  looked  at  the  young  man. 

"Bigger?"  said  he,  scornfully.  "What's  that 
got  to  do  with  it  ?  A  load  of  hay  is  bigger  than 
a  crow-bar,  but  I  guess  the  crow-bar  would  get 
through  the  hay  without  much  trouble." 

"You'd  better  talk  about  a  load  of  rocks,"  said 
Martin.  "  I  don't  think  you'd  find  it  easy  to  get 
a  crow-bar  through  them." 

Matlack  looked  up  inquiringly.  "  Has  he  been 
thrashing  you  ?"  he  asked. 

"  No,  he  hasn't,"  said  Martin,  sharply. 

"  You  didn't  fight  him,  then  ?" 

"  No,  I  didn't,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Why  didn't  you  ?  You  were  here  to  take 
charge  of  this  camp  and  keep  things  in  order. 
Why  didn't  you  fight  him?" 

"  I  don't  fight  that  sort  of  a  man,"  said  Martin, 
with  an  air  which,  if  it  were  not  disdainful,  was 
intended  to  be. 

Matlack  gazed  at  him  a  moment  in  silence,  and 
then  went  on  cutting  the  bread.  "  I  don't  under- 
stand this  thing,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I  must 
look  into  it." 

104 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE    WORLD   GOES   WRONG   WITH    MR.    RAYBOLD 

THE  next  morning  Mr.  Archibald  started  out, 
very  early,  on  a  fishing  expedition  by  himself. 
He  was  an  enthusiastic  angler,  and  had  not  great- 
ly enjoyed  the  experience  of  the  day  before.  He 
did  not  object  to  shooting  if  there  were  any  le- 
gitimate game  to  shoot,  and  he  liked  to  tramp 
through  the  mountain  wilds  under  the  guidance 
of  such  a  man  as  Matlack  ;  but  to  keep  company 
all  day  with  Raybold,  who,  in  the  very  heart  of 
nature,  talked  only  of  the  gossip  of  the  town,  and 
who  punctuated  his  small  talk  by  intermittent 
firing  at  everything  which  looked  like  a  bird  or 
suggested  the  movements  of  an  animal,  was  not 
agreeable  to  him.  Clyde  was  a  better  fellow,  and 
Mr.  Archibald  liked  him,  but  he  was  young  and 
abstracted,  and  the  interest  which  clings  around 
an  abstracted  person  who  is  young  is  often  incon- 
siderable, so  he  determined  for  one  day  at  least 
to  leave  Sir  Cupid  to  his  own  devices,  for  he 
could  not  spend  all  his  time  defending  Margery 
from  amatory  dawdle.  For  this  one  day  he  would 
leave  the  task  to  his  wife. 

That  day  Mr.  Raybold  was  in  a  moody  mood. 
Early  in  the  morning  he  had  walked  to  Sadler's, 
his  object  being  to  secure  from  the  trunk  which 
105 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

he  had  left  there  a  suit  of  ordinary  summer 
clothes.  He  had  come  to  think  that  perhaps  his 
bicycle  attire,  although  very  suitable  for  this  sort 
of  life,  failed  to  make  him  as  attractive  in  the 
eyes  of  youth  and  beauty  as  he  might  be  if 
clothed  in  more  becoming  garments.  It  was  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  before  he  returned, 
and  as  he  carried  a  large  package,  he  went  di- 
rectly to  his  own  camp,  and  in  about  half  an  hour 
afterwards  he  came  over  to  Camp  Rob  dressed  in 
a  light  suit,  which  improved  his  general  appear- 
ance very  much. 

In  his  countenance,  however,  there  was  no  im- 
provement whatever,  for  he  looked  more  out  of 
humor  than  when  he  had  set  out,  and  when  he 
saw  that  Mrs.  Archibald  was  sitting  alone  in  the 
shade,  reading,  and  that  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance Harrison  Clyde  was  seated  by  Margery, 
giving  her  a  lesson  in  drawing  upon  birch  bark, 
or  else  taking  a  lesson  from  her,  his  ill-humor 
increased. 

"  It  is  too  bad,"  said  he,  taking  a  seat  by  Mrs. 
Archibald  without  being  asked ;  "  everything 
seems  to  go  wrong  out  here  in  these  woods.  It 
is  an  unnatural  way  to  live,  anyhow,  and  I  sup- 
pose it  serves  us  right.  When  I  went  to  Sadler's 
I  found  a  letter  from  my  sister  Corona,  who  says 
she  would  like  me  to  make  arrangements  for  her 
to  come  here  and  camp  with  us  for  a  time.  Now 
that  suits  me  very  well  indeed.  My  sister  Corona 
is  a  very  fine  young  woman,  and  I  think  it  would 
be  an  excellent  thing  to  have  two  young  ladies 
here  instead  of  one." 

"Yes,"  Said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "that  might  be 
1 06 


IT   GOES  WRONG  WITH    RAYBOLD 

very  pleasant.     I  should  be  glad  for  Margery  to 
have  a  companion  of  her  own  sex." 

"  I  understand  precisely,"  said  Raybold,  nod- 
ding his  head  sagaciously  ;  "  of  her  own  sex.  Yes, 
I  see  your  drift,  and  I  agree  with  you  absolutely. 
There  is  a  little  too  much  of  that  thing  over  there, 
and  I  don't  wonder  you  are  annoyed." 

"  I  did  not  say  I  was  annoyed,"  said  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald, rather  surprised. 

"  No,"  he  answered,  "  you  did  not  say  so,  but  I 
can  read  between  the  lines,  even  spoken  lines. 
Now  when  I  heard  that  my  sister  wanted  to  come 
out  here,"  he  continued,  "at  first  I  did  not  like  it, 
for  I  thought  she  might  be  some  sort  of  a  re- 
straint upon  me  ;  but  when  I  considered  the  mat- 
ter further,  I  became  very  much  in  favor  of  it, 
and  I  sent  a  telegram  by  the  stage  telling  her  to 
come  immediately,  and  that  everything  would  be 
ready  for  her.  My  sister  has  a  sufficient  income 
of  her  own,  and  she  likes  to  have  everything 
suited  to  her  needs.  I  am  different.  I  am  a  man 
of  the  world,  and  although  I  do  not  always  care 
to  conform  to  circumstances,  I  can  generally 
make  circumstances  conform  to  me.  As  Shake- 
speare says,  '  The  world  is  my  pottle,  and  I  stir 
my  spoon.'  You  must  excuse  my  quoting,  but  I 
cannot  help  it.  My  life  work  is  to  be  upon  the 
stage,  and  where  one's  mind  is,  there  will  his 
words  be  also." 

Mr.  Raybold  was  now  in  a  much  more  pleasant 
mood  than  when  he  came  to  sit  in  the  shade  with 
Mrs.  Archibald.  He  was  talking  ;  he  had  found 
some  one  who  listened  and  who  had  very  little  to 
say  for  herself. 

107 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  Consequently,"  he  remarked,  "  I  ordered  from 
Mr.  Sadler  the  very  best  tent  that  he  had.  It  has 
two  compartments  in  it,  and  it  is  really  as  com- 
fortable as  a  house,  and  as  my  sister  wrote  that  she 
wished  a  female  attendant,  not  caring  to  have  her 
meals  cooked  by  boys — a  very  flippant  expression, 
by-the-way — I  have  engaged  for  her  a  she-guide." 

"  A  what?"  asked  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"A  person,"  said  he,  "who  is  a  guide  of  the  fe- 
male gender.  She  was  the  wife  of  a  hunter  who 
was  accidentally  shot,  Sadler  told  me,  by  a  young 
man  who  was  with  him  on  a  gunning  expedition. 
I  told  Sadler  that  it  was  reprehensible  to  allow 
such  fellows  to  have  guns,  but  he  said  that  they 
are  not  as  dangerous  now  as  they  used  to  be. 
This  is  because  the  guides  have  learned  to  beware 
of  them,  I  suppose.  This  woman  has  lived  in  the 
woods  and  knows  all  about  camp  life,  and  Sadler 
says  there  could  not  be  a  better  person  found  to 
attend  a  young  lady  in  camp.  So  I  engaged  her, 
and  I  must  say  she  charged  just  as  much  as  if  she 
were  a  man." 

"  Why  shouldn't  she,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  if 
she  is  just  as  good?" 

To  this  remark  Raybold  paid  no  attention.  "  I 
will  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  confidentially,  of  course, 
and  I  think  you  have  as  much  reason  to  be  in- 
terested in  it  as  I  have,  why  I  came  to  view  with 
so  much  favor  my  sister's  coming  here.  She  is  a 
very  attractive  young  woman,  and  I  think  she 
cannot  fail  to  interest  Clyde,,  and  that,  of  course, 
will  be  of  advantage  to  your  niece." 

"  She  is  not  my  niece,  you  know,"  said  Mrs. 
Archibald. 

108 


IT   GOES  WRONG  WITH   RAYBOLD 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  it  is  all  the  same.  '  Let  it  be 
a  bird  wing  or  a  flower,  so  it  pleases' — a  quotation 
which  is  also  Avonian — and  if  Clyde  likes  Corona 
he  will  let  Miss  Dearborn  alone.  That's  the  sort 
of  man  he  is." 

"And  in  that  case,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "I 
suppose  you  would  not  be  unwilling  to  provide 
Margery  with  company." 

"Madam,"  said  the  young  man,  leaning  for- 
ward and  fixing  his  eyes  upon  the  ground,  and 
then  turning  them  upon  her  without  moving  his 
face  towards  her,  "with  me  all  that  is  a  different 
matter.  I  may  have  occasion  later  to  speak  to 
you  and  your  husband  upon  the  subject  of  Miss 
Dearborn." 

"  In  which  case,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  quickly, 
"  I  am  sure  that  my  husband  will  be  very  glad  to 
speak  to  you.  But  why,  may  I  ask,  were  you  so 
disturbed  when  you  came  here,  just  now?  You 
said  the  world  was  going  wrong." 

"I  declare,"  said  he,  knitting  his  brows  and 
clapping  one  hand  on  his  knee,  "  I  actually  for- 
got !  The  world  wrong  ?  I  should  say  it  was 
wrong  !  My  sister  can't  come,  and  I  don't  know 
what  to  do  about  it." 

"  Can't  come  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  he,  all  his  ill-humor  hav- 
ing returned.  "  That  fellow,  the  bishop,  is  in  our 
camp  and  in  Clyde's  bed.  Clyde  foolishly  gave 
him  his  bed  because  he  said  the  cook-tent  was  too 
cramped  for  a  man  to  stay  in  it  all  day." 

"Why  need  he  stay?"  asked  Mrs.  Archibald. 
"  Has  he  taken  cold  ?  Is  he  sick  ?" 

"  No  indeed,"  said  Raybold.  "  If  he  were  sick 
109 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

we  might  send  for  a  cart  and  have  him  taken  to 
Sadler's,  but  the  trouble  is  worse  than  that.  His 
clothes,  in  which  he  foolishly  jumped  into  the 
water,  have  shrunken  so  much  that  he  cannot  get 
them  on,  and  as  he  has  no  others,  he  is  obliged  to 
stay  in  bed." 

"  But  surely  something  can  be  done,"  said  Mrs. 
Archibald. 

"  No,"  he  interrupted,  "  nothing  can  be  done. 
The  clothes  have  dried,  and  if  you  could  see  them 
as  they  hang  up  on  the  bushes,  you  would  under- 
stand why  that  man  can  never  get  into  them 
again.  The  material  is  entirely  unsuitable  for 
out-door  life.  Clyde  proposes  that  we  shall  lend 
him  something,  but  there  are  no  clothes  in  this 
party  into  which  such  a  sausage  of  a  man  could 
get  himself.  So  there  he  is,  and  there,  I  suppose, 
he  will  remain  indefinitely ;  and  I  don't  want  to 
bring  my  sister  to  a  camp  with  a  permanently 
occupied  hospital  bed  in  it.  As  soon  as  I  agreed 
to  Corona's  coming  I  determined  to  bounce  that 
man,  but  now — "  So  saying,  Mr.  Raybold  rose, 
folded  his  arms,  and  knit  his  brows,  and  as  he  did 
so  he  glanced  towards  the  spot  where  Margery 
and  Clyde  had  been  sitting,  and  perceived  that 
the  latter  had  departed,  probably  to  get  some 
more  birch  bark  ;  and  so,  with  a  nod  to  Mrs. 
Archibald,  he  sauntered  away,  bending  his  steps, 
as  it  were  accidentally,  in  the  direction  of  the 
young  lady  left  alone. 

When  Mr.  Archibald  heard,  that   evening,  of 

the  bishop's  plight  and  Raybold's  discomfiture,  he 

was  amused,  but  also  glad  to  know  there  was  an 

opportunity  for  doing  something  practical  for  the 

no 


IT   GOES  WRONG  WITH    RAYBOLD 

bishop.  He  was  beginning  to  like  the  man,  in 
spite  of  his  indefiniteness,  so  he  went  to  see  the 
bedridden  prelate  who  was  neither  sick  nor  cler- 
ical, and  with  very  little  trouble  induced  him  to 
take  a  few  general  measurements  of  his  figure. 

"It  is  so  good  of  you,"  said  the  delighted  re- 
cumbent, "  that  I  shall  not  say  a  word,  but  step 
aside  in  deference  to  your  conscience,  whose  en- 
comiums will  far  transcend  anything  I  can  say. 
You  will  pardon  me,  I  am  sure,  if  I  make  my 
measurements  liberal.  The  cost  will  not  be  in- 
creased, and  to  live,  move,  and  breathe  in  a  suit 
of  clothes  which  is  large  enough  for  me  is  a  joy 
which  I  have  not  known  for  a  long  time.  Shoes, 
did  you  say,  sir  ?  Truly  this  is  generosity  super- 
eminent." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  laughing,  "and  you 
also  shall  have  a  new  hat.  I  will  fit  you  out  com- 
pletely, and  if  this  helps  you  to  make  a  new  and 
a  good  start  in  life,  I  shall  be  greatly  gratified." 

"  Sir,"  said  the  bishop,  the  moisture  of  genuine 
gratitude  in  his  eyes,  "you  are  doing,  I  think,  far 
more  good  than  you  can  imagine,  and  pardon  me 
if  I  suggest,  since  you  are  going  to  get  me  a  hat, 
that  it  be  not  of  clerical  fashion.  If  everything 
is  to  be  new,  I  should  like  everything  different, 
and  I  am  certain  the  cost  will  be  less." 

"All  right,"  said  Mr.  Archibald.  "I  will  now 
make  a  list  of  what  you  need,  and  I  will  write  to 
one  of  my  clerks,  who  will  procure  everything." 

When  Mr.  Archibald  went  back  to  his  camp  he 
met  Raybold,  stalking  moodily.      Having  been 
told  what  had  been  done  for  the  bishop's  relief, 
the  young  man  was  astonished. 
in 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  A  complete  outfit,  and  for  him  ?  I  would  not 
have  dreamed  of  it ;  and  besides,  it  is  of  no  use  ; 
it  must  be  days  before  the  clothes  arrive,  and  my 
sister  wishes  to  come  immediately." 

"  Do  you  suppose,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Archibald, 
"  that  I  am  doing  this  for  the  sake  of  your  sister? 
I  am  doing  it  for  the  man  himself." 

When  Mr.  Archibald  told  his  wife  of  this  little 
interview  they  both  laughed  heartily. 

"If  Mr.  Raybold's  sister,"  said  she,  "is  like 
him,  I  do  not  think  we  shall  care  to  have  her 
here  ;  but  sisters  are  often  very  different  from 
their  brothers.  However,  the  bishop  need  not 
prevent  her  coming.  If  his  clothes  do  not  arrive 
before  she  does,  I  am  sure  there  could  be  no  ob- 
jection to  her  tent  being  set  up  for  a  time  in  some 
of  the  open  space  in  our  camp,  and  then  we  shall 
become  sooner  acquainted  with  her;  if  she  is 
a  suitable  person,  I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  for 
Margery  to  have  a  companion." 

"All  right,"  said  Mr,  Archibald  ;  "let  her  pitch 
her  tent  where  she  pleases.  I  am  satisfied." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE    ASSERTION    OP    INDIVIDUALITY 

IT  was  a  week  after  her  brother  had  sent  her 
his  telegram  before  Miss  Corona  Raybold  arrived 
at  Camp  Rob,  with  her  tent,  her  outfit,  and  her 
female  guide.  Mrs.  Archibald  had  been  surprised 
that  she  did  not  appear  sooner,  for,  considering 
Mr.  Raybold's  state  of  mind,  she  had  supposed 
that  his  sister  had  wished  to  come  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment. 

"  But,"  said  Raybold,  in  explaining  the  delay, 
"  Corona  is  very  different  from  me.  In  my  ac- 
tions 'the  thunder's  roar  doth  crowd  upon  the 
lightning's  heels,'  as  William  has  told  us." 

"Where  in  Shakespeare  is  that?"  asked  Mrs. 
Archibald. 

Mr.  Raybold  bent  his  brow.  "  For  the  nonce," 
said  he,  "  I  do  not  recall  the  exact  position  of  the 
lines."  And  after  that  he  made  no  more  Avonian 
quotations  to  Mrs.  Archibald. 

The  arrival  of  the  young  lady  was,  of  course,  a 
very  important  event,  and  even  Mr.  Archibald 
rowed  in  from  the  lake  when  he  saw  her  caravan 
approaching,  herself  walking  in  the  lead.  She 
proved  to  be  a  young  person  of  medium  height, 
slight,  and  dressed  in  a  becoming  suit  of  dark 
blue.  Her  hair  and  eyes  were  dark,  her  features 
H  113 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

regular  and  of  a  classic  cut,  and  she  wore  eye- 
glasses. Her  manner  was  quiet,  and  at  first  she 
appeared  reserved,  but  she  soon  showed  that  if 
she  wished  to  speak  she  could  talk  very  freely. 
She  wore  an  air  of  dignified  composure,  but  was 
affable,  and  very  attentive  to  what  was  said  to 
her. 

Altogether  she  made  in  a  short  time  an  extreme- 
ly favorable  impression  upon  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald, and  in  a  very  much  less  time  an  extremely 
unfavorable  impression  upon  Margery. 

Miss  Raybold  greeted  everybody  pleasantly, 
even  informing  Matlack  that  she  had  heard  of 
him  as  a  famous  guide,  and  after  thanking  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Archibald  for  their  permission  to  set  up 
her  tent  on  the  outskirts  of  their  camp,  she  pro- 
ceeded to  said  tent,  which  was  speedily  made 
ready  for  her. 

Mrs.  Perkenpine,  her  guide,  was  an  energetic 
woman,  and  under  her  orders  the  men  who  brought 
the  baggage  bestirred  themselves  wonderfully. 

Just  before  supper,  to  which  meal  the  Raybolds 
and  Mr.  Clyde  had  been  invited,  the  latter  came 
to  Mr.  Archibald,  evidently  much  troubled  and 
annoyed. 

"  I  am  positively  ashamed  to  mention  it  to  you, 
sir,"  he  said,  "but  I  must  tell  you  that  Raybold 
has  ordered  the  men  who  brought  his  sister's  tent 
to  bring  our  tent  over  here  and  put  it  up  near 
her's.  I  was  away  when  this  was  done,  and  I  wish 
to  assure  you  most  earnestly  that  I  had  nothing 
to  do  with  it.  The  men  have  gone,  and  I  don't 
suppose  we  can  get  it  back  to-night." 

Mr.  Archibald  opened  his  eyes  very  wide. 
114 


ASSERTION    OF   INDIVIDUALITY 

"Your  friend  is  certainly  a  remarkable  young 
man,"  said  he,  "but  we  must  not  have  any  bad 
feeling  in  camp,  so  let  everything  remain  as  it  is 
for  to-night.  I  suppose  he  wished  to  be  near  his 
sister,  but  at  least  he  might  have  asked  permis- 
sion." 

"  I  think/'  said  Clyde,  "  that  he  did  not  so  much 
care  to  be  near  his  sister  as  he  did  to  be  away 
from  the  bishop,  who  is  now  left  alone  in  our 
little  shelter-tent." 

Mr.  Archibald  laughed.  "Well,"  said  he,  "he 
will  come  to  no  harm,  and  we  must  see  that  he 
has  some  supper." 

"Oh,  I  shall  attend  to  that,"  said  Clyde,  "and 
to  his  breakfast  also.  And,  now  I  come  to  think 
of  it,  I  believe  that  one  reason  Raybold  moved 
our  tent  over  here  was  to  get  the  benefit  of  his 
sister's  cook.  The  bishop  did  our  cooking,  you 
know,  before  he  took  to  his  bed." 

That  evening  Miss  Raybold  joined  the  party 
around  the  camp-fire.  She  declared  that  in  the 
open  air  she  did  not  in  the  least  object  to  the  use 
of  tobacco,  and  then  she  asked  Mr.  Archibald  if 
his  two  guides  came  to  the  camp-fire  after  their 
work  was  done. 

"They  do  just  as  they  please,"  was  the  answer. 
"  Sometimes  they  come  over  here  and  smoke  their 
pipes  a  little  in  the  background,  and  sometimes 
they  go  off  by  themselves.  We  are  very  demo- 
cratic here  in  camp,  you  know." 

"  I  like  that,"  said  Miss  Raybold,  "  and  I  will 
have  Mrs.  Perkenpine  come  over  when  she  has 
arranged  the  tent  for  the  night.  Arthur,  will 
you  go  and  tell  her?" 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Her  brother  did  not  immediately  rise  to  exe- 
cute this  commission.  He  hoped  that  Mr.  Clyde 
would  offer  to  do  the  service,  but  the  latter  did 
not  improve  the  opportunity  to  make  himself 
agreeable  to  the  new-comer,  and  Raybold  did  the 
errand. 

Harrison  Clyde  was  sitting  by  Margery,  and 
Margery  was  giving  a  little  attention  to  what  he 
said  to  her  and  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  Corona 
Raybold. 

"  More  self-conceit  and  a  better-fitting  dress  I 
never  saw,"  thought  Margery;  "it's  loose  and 
easy,  and  yet  it  seems  to  fit  perfectly,  and  I  do 
believe  she  thinks  she  is  some  sort  of  an  upper 
angel  who  has  condescended  to  come  down  here 
just  to  see  what  common  people  are  like." 

Corona  talked  to  Mr.  Archibald.  It  was  her 
custom  always  to  talk  to  the  principal  personage 
of  a  party. 

"  It  gives  me  pleasure,  sir,"  said  she,  "  to  meet 
with  you  and  your  wife.  It  is  so  seldom  that  we 
find  any  one — "  She  was  interrupted  by  Mrs. 
Perkenpine,  who  stood  behind  her. 

The  she-guide  was  a  large  woman,  apparently 
taller  than  Matlack.  Her  sunburnt  face  was 
partly  shaded  by  a  man's  straw  hat,  secured  on 
her  head  by  strings  tied  under  her  chin.  She 
wore  a  very  plain  gown,  coarse  in  texture,  and 
of  a  light-blue  color,  which  showed  that  it  had 
been  washed  very  often.  Her  voice  and  her 
shoes,  the  latter  well  displayed  by  her  short 
skirt,  creaked,  but  her  gray  eyes  were  bright, 
and  moved  about  after  the  manner  of  search- 
lights. 

116 


ASSERTION    OF    INDIVIDUALITY 

"Well,"  said  she  to  Miss  Raybold,  "what  do 
you  want  ?" 

Corona  turned  her  head  and  placidly  gazed  up 
at  her.  "I  simply  wished  to  let  you  know  that 
you  might  join  this  company  here  if  you  liked. 
The  two  men  guides  are  coming,  you  see." 

Mrs.  Perkenpine  glanced  around  the  group. 
"  Is  there  any  hunting  stories  to  be  told  ?"  she 
asked. 

Mr.  Archibald  laughed.  "  I  don't  know,"  he 
said,  "but  perhaps  we  may  have  some.  I  am  sure 
that  Matlack  here  has  hunting  stories  to  tell." 

Mrs.  Perkenpine  shook  her  head.  "  No,  sir," 
said  she  ;  "I  don't  want  none  of  his  stories.  I've 
heard  them  all  mostly  two  or  three  times  over." 

"I  dare  say  you  have,"  said  Phil,  seating  him- 
self on  a  fallen  trunk,  a  little  back  from  the  fire  ; 
"  but  you  see,  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  you  are  so  obsti- 
nate about  keepin'  on  livin'.  If  you'd  died  when 
you  was  younger,  you  wouldn't  have  heard  so 
many  of  those  stories." 

" There's  been  times,"  said  she,  "when  you  was 
tellin'  the  story  of  the  bear  cubs  and  the  con- 
densed milk,  when  I  wished  I  had  died  when  I  was 
younger,  or  else  you  had." 

"Perhaps,"  said  Miss  Raybold,  in  a  clear,  de- 
cisive voice,  "  Mr.  Matlack  may  know  hunting- 
stories  that  will  be  new  to  all  of  us,  but  before 
he  begins  them  I  have  something  which  I  would 
like  to  say." 

"  All  right,"  said  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  seating  her- 
self promptly  upon  the  ground  ;  "  if  you're  goin' 
to  talk,  I'll  stay.     I'd  like  to  know  what  kind  of 
things  you  do  talk  about  when  you  talk." 
117 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  I  was  just  now  remarking,"  said  Miss  Corona, 
"that  I  am  very  glad  indeed  to  meet  with  those 
who,  like  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald,  are  willing  to 
set  their  feet  upon  the  modern  usages  of  society 
(which  would  crowd  us  together  in  a  common 
herd)  and  assert  their  individuality." 

Mr.  Archibald  looked  at  the  speaker  inquiringly. 

"Of  course,"  said  she,  UI  refer  to  the  fact  that 
you  and  Mrs.  Archibald  are  on  a  wedding-jour- 
ney." 

At  this  remark  Phil  Matlack  rose  suddenly 
from  the  tree-trunk  and  Martin  dropped  his  pipe. 
Mr.  Clyde  turned  his  gaze  upon  Margery,  who 
thereupon  burst  out  laughing,  and  then  he  looked 
in  amazement  from  Mr.  Archibald  to  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald and  back  again.  Mrs.  Perkenpine  sat  up 
very  straight  and  leaned  forward,  her  hands  upon 
her  knees. 

"Is  it  them  two  sittin'  over  there?"  she  said, 
pointing  to  Margery  and  Clyde.  "  Are  they  on  a 
honey-moon  ?" 

"  No !"  exclaimed  Arthur  Raybold,  in  a  loud, 
sharp  voice.  "What  an  absurdity  !  Corona,  what 
are  you  talking  about  ?" 

To  this  his  sister  paid  no  attention  whatever. 
"  I  think,"  she  said,  "  it  was  a  noble  thing  to  do. 
An  assertion  of  one's  inner  self  is  always  noble, 
and  when  I  heard  of  this  assertion  I  wished  very 
much  to  know  the  man  and  the  woman  who  had 
so  asserted  themselves,  and  this  was  my  principal 
reason  for  determining  to  come  to  this  camp." 

"But  where  on  earth,"  asked  Mr.  Archibald, 
"did  you  hear  that  we  were  on  a  wedding- 
journey  ?" 

118 


ASSERTION    OF    INDIVIDUALITY 

"  I  read  it  in  a  newspaper,"  said  Corona. 

"I  do  declare,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Archibald, 
"  everything  is  in  the  newspapers  !  I  did  think 
that  we  might  settle  down  here  and  enjoy  our- 
selves without  people  talking  about  our  reason 
for  coming !" 

"You  don't  mean  to  say,"  cried  Mrs.  Perken- 
pine,  now  on  her  feet,  "that  you  two  elderly 
ones  is  the  honey-mooners?" 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  looking  with  amuse- 
ment on  the  astonished  faces  about  him,  "  we 
truly  are." 

"  Well,"  said  the  she-guide,  seating  herself,  "  if 
I'd  stayed  an  old  maid  as  long  as  that,  I  think  I'd 
stuck  it  out.  But  perhaps  you  was  a  widow, 
mum  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  cried  Mr.  Archibald  ;  "  she  was 
a  charming  girl  when  I  married  her.  But  just 
let  me  tell  you  how  the  matter  stands,"  and  he 
proceeded  to  relate  the  facts  of  the  case.  "  I 
thought,"  he  said,  in  conclusion,  turning  to  Mat- 
lack,  "  that  perhaps  you  knew  about  it,  for  I  told 
Mr.  Sadler,  and  I  supposed  he  might  have  men- 
tioned it  to  you." 

"No,  sir,"  said  Matlack,  relighting  his  pipe, 
"he  knows  me  better  than  that.  If  he'd  called 
me  and  said,  c  Phil,  I  want  you  to  take  charge  of 
a  couple  that's  goin'  honey-moonin'  about  twenty- 
five  years  after  they  married,  and  a-doin'  it  for 
somebody  else  and  not  for  themselves,'  I'd  said  to 
him,  'They're  lunatics,  and  I  won't  take  charge 
of  them.'  And  Peter  he  knows  I  would  have 
thought  that  and  would  have  said  it,  and  so  he 
did  not  mention  the  particulars  to  me.  He  knows 
119 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

that  the  only  things  that  Fm  afraid  of  in  this 
world  is  lunatics.  'Tisn't  only  what  they  might 
do  to  me,  but  what  they  might  do  to  themselves, 
and  I  won't  touch  'em." 

"I  hope,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "that  you  don't 
consider  us  lunatics  now  that  you  have  heard 
why  we  are  here." 

"Oh  no,"  said  the  guide;  "I've  found  that 
you're  regular  common-sense  people,  and  I  don't 
change  my  opinions  even  when  I've  heard  par- 
ticulars ;  but  if  I'd  heard  particulars  first,  it  would 
have  been  all  up  with  my  takin'  charge  of  you." 

"  And  you  knew  it  all  the  time?"  said  Clyde  to 
Margery,  speaking  so  that  she  only  could  hear. 

"I  knew  it,"  she  said,  "but  I  didn't  think  it 
worth  talking  about.  Do  you  know  Mr.  Ray- 
bold's  sister  ?  Do  you  like  her  ?" 

"  I  have  met  her,"  said  Clyde  ;  "  but  she  is  too 
lofty  for  me." 

"  What  is  there  lofty  about  her  ?"  said  Margery. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "she  is  lofty  because  she  has 
elevated  ideas.  She  goes  in  for  reform  ;  and  for 
pretty  much  all  kinds,  from  what  I  have  heard." 

"I  think  she  is  lofty,"  remarked  Margery, 
"because  she  is  stuck-up.  I  don't  like  her." 

"  It  is  so  seldom,"  Corona  now  continued,  "that 
we  find  people  who  are  willing  to  assert  their  in- 
dividuality, and  when  they  are  found  I  always 
want  to  talk  to  them.  I  suppose,  Mr.  Matlack, 
that  your  life  is  one  long  assertion  of  individual- 
ity ?" 

"  What,  ma'am  ?"  asked  the  guide. 

"I  mean,"  said  she,  "that  when  you  are  out 
alone  in  the  wild  forest,  holding  in  your  hand 
120 


ASSERTION    OF    INDIVIDUALITY 

the  weapon  which  decides  the  question  of  life  or 
death  for  any  living  creature  over  whom  you  may 
choose  to  exercise  your  jurisdiction,  absolutely 
independent  of  every  social  trammel,  every  bond 
of  conventionalism,  you  must  feel  that  you  are 
a  predominant  whole  and  not  a  mere  integral 
part." 

"  Well,"  said  Matlack,  speaking  slowly,  "  I  may 
have  had  them  feelin's,  but  if  I  did  they  must 
have  struck  in,  and  not  come  out  on  the  skin,  like 
measles,  where  I  could  see  'em." 

"  Corona,"  said  her  brother,  in  a  peevish  under- 
tone, "  what  is  the  good  of  all  that  ?  You're  wast- 
ing your  words  on  such  a  man." 

His  sister  turned  a  mild  steady  gaze  upon  him. 
"  I  don't  know  any  man  but  you,"  she  said,  "  on 
whom  I  waste  my  words." 

"Is  assertin'  like  persistin'?"  inquired  Mrs. 
Perkenpine  at  this  point. 

"The  two  actions  are  somewhat  alike,"  said 
Corona. 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  she-guide,  "I'm  in  for 
assertin'.  When  my  husband  was  alive  there  was 
a  good  many  things  I  wanted  to  do,  and  when  I 
wanted  to  do  a  thing  or  get  a  thing  I  kept  on 
sayin'  so  ;  and  one  day,  after  I'd  been  keepin'  on 
sayin'  so  a  good  while,  he  says  to  me,  '  Jane/  says 
he, '  it  seems  to  me  that  you're  persistin'.'  '  Yes,' 
says  I,  'I  am,  and  I  intend  to  be.'  'Then  you 
are  goin'  to  keep  on  insistin'  on  persistin'?'  says 
he.  *  Yes,'  says  I ;  and  then  says  he,  *  If  you  keep 
on  insistin'  on  persistin'  I'll  be  thinkin'  of  'listinV 
By  which  he  meant  goin'  into  the  army  as  a  regu- 
lar, and  gettin'  rid  of  me ;  and  as  I  didn't  want 
121 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

to  be  rid  of  him,  I  stopped  persistin' ;  but  now  I 
wish  I  had  persisted,  for  then  he'd  'listed,  and 
most  likely  would  be  alive  now,  through  not 
bein'  shot  in  the  back  by  a  city  fool  with  a  gun." 

"I  do  not  believe,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald  to  her 
husband,  when  they  had  retired  to  their  cabin, 
"  that  that  young  woman  is  going  to  be  much  of 
a  companion  for  Margery.  I  think  she  will  pre- 
fer your  society  to  that  of  any  of  the  rest  of  us. 
It  is  very  plain  that  she  thinks  it  is  your  individu- 
ality which  has  been  asserted." 

"Well,"  said  he,  rubbing  his  spectacles  with  his 
handkerchief  before  putting  them  away  for  the 
night,  "  don't  let  her  project  her  individuality  into 
my  sport.  That's  all  I  have  to  say." 


CHAPTER  XV 
A    NET    OF    COBWEBS    TO    CAGE    A    LION 

"  I  THINK  there's  something  besides  a  lunatic 
that  you  are  afraid  of,"  said  Martin  to  Matlack 
the  next  morning,  as  they  were  preparing  break- 
fast. 

"What's  that?"  inquired  the  guide,  sharply. 

"  It's  that  fellow  they  call  the  bishop,"  said 
Martin.  "  He  put  a  pretty  heavy  slur  on  you. 
You  drove  down  a  stake,  and  you  locked  your 
boat  to  it,  and  you  walked  away  as  big  as  if  you 
were  the  sheriff  of  the  county,  and  here  he  comes 
along,  and  snaps  his  fingers  at  you  and  your 
locks,  and,  as  cool  as  a  cucumber,  he  pulls  up  the 
stake  and  shoves  out  on  the  lake,  all  alone  by 
herself,  a  young  lady  that  you  are  paid  to  take 
care  of  and  protect  from  danger." 

"I  want  you  to  know,  Martin  Sanders,"  said 
Matlack,  "  that  I  don't  pitch  into  a  man  when  he's 
in  his  bed,  no  matter  what  it  is  that  made  him 
take  to  his  bed  or  stay  there.  But  I'll  just  say  to 
you  now,  that  when  he  gets  up  and  shows  him- 
self, there'll  be  the  biggest  case  of  bounce  in 
these  parts  that  you  ever  saw." 

"  Bounce  !"  said  Martin  to  himself,  as  he  turned 
away.  "  I  have  heard  so  much  of  it  lately  that 
I'd  like  to  see  a  little." 

123 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Matlack  also  communed  with  himself.  "  He's 
awful  anxious  to  get  up  a  quarrel  between  me 
and  the  parson,"  he  thought.  "  I  wonder  if  he 
was  too  free  with  his  tongue  and  did  get  thrashed. 
He  don't  show  no  signs  of  it,  except  he's  so  con- 
cerned in  his  mind  to  see  somebody  do  for  the 
parson  what  he  ain't  able  to  do  himself.  But  I'll 
find  out  about  it !  I'll  thrash  that  fellow  in 
black,  and  before  I  let  him  up  I'll  make  him  tell 
me  what  he  did  to  Martin.  I'd  do  a  good  deal 
to  get  hold  of  something  that  would  take  the 
conceit  out  of  that  fellow." 

Mr.  Arthur  Raybold  was  a  deep-minded  person, 
and  sometimes  it  was  difficult  for  him,  with  the 
fathoming  apparatus  he  had  on  hand,  to  discover 
the  very  bottom  of  his  mind.  Now,  far  below 
the  surface,  his  thoughts  revolved.  He  had  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  would  marry  Margery. 
In  the  first  place,  he  was  greatly  attracted  by 
her,  and  again  he  considered  it  would  be  a  most 
advantageous  union.  She  was  charming  to  look 
upon,  and  her  mind  was  so  uncramped  by  con- 
ventionalities that  it  could  adapt  itself  to  almost 
any  sphere  to  which  she  might  direct  it.  He  ex- 
pected his  life-work  to  be  upon  the  stage,  and 
what  an  actress  Miss  Dearborn  would  make  if 
properly  educated  —  as  he  could  educate  her! 
With  this  most  important  purpose  in  view,  why 
should  he  waste  his  time  ?  The  Archibalds  could 
not  much  longer  remain  in  camp.  They  had 
limited  their  holiday  to  a  month,  and  that  was 
more  than  half  gone.  He  must  strike  now. 

The  first  thing  to  do  was  to  get  Clyde  out  of 
the  way ;  then  he  would  speak  to  Mr.  Archibald 
124 


COBWEBS    TO    CAGE    A    LION 

and  ask  for  authority  to  press  his  suit,  and  he 
would  press  that  suit  as  few  men  on  earth,  he 
said  to  himself,  would  be  able  to  press  it.  What 
girl  could  deny  herself  to  him  when  he  came 
to  her  clad  not  only  with  his  own  personal  at- 
tributes, but  with  the  fervor  of  a  Romeo,  the  in- 
tellectuality of  a  Hamlet,  and  the  force  of  an 
Othello  ? 

The  Clyde  part  of  the  affair  seemed  very  sim- 
ple ;  as  his  party  would  of  course  have  their  own 
table  Clyde  would  see  his  sister  at  every  meal, 
and  as  Corona  did  not  care  to  talk  to  him,  and 
must  talk  to  somebody,  she  would  be  compelled 
to  talk  to  Clyde,  and  if  she  talked  to  Clyde  and 
looked  at  him  as  she  always  did  when  she  talked 
to  people,  he  did  not  see  how  he  could  help  being 
attracted  by  her,  and  when  once  that  sort  of 
thing  began  the  Margery-field  would  be  open  to 
him. 

He  excused  himself  that  morning  for  hurriedly 
leaving  the  breakfast -table  by  saying  that  he 
wished  to  see  Mr.  Archibald  before  he  started 
out  fishing. 

He  found  that  gentleman  talking  to  Matlack. 
"  Can  I  see  you  alone,  sir  ?"  said  Raybold.  "  I 
have  something  of  importance  I  wish  to  say  to 
you." 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  other,  "  for  I  have  some- 
thing I  wish  to  say  to  you,"  and  they  retired  tow- 
ards the  lake. 

"What  is  it?"  inquired  Mr.  Archibald. 

"  It  is  this,"  said  Raybold,  folding  his  arms  as 
he  spoke.  "  I  am  a  man  of  but  few  words.  When 
I  have  formed  a  purpose  I  call  upon  my  actions 
125 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

to  express  it  rather  than  my  speech.  I  will  not 
delay,  therefore,  to  say  to  you  that  I  love  your 
ward,  and  my  sole  object  in  seeking  this  inter- 
view is  to  ask  your  permission  to  pay  my  ad- 
dresses to  her.  That  permission  given,  I  will  at- 
tend to  the  rest." 

"  After  you  have  dropped  your  penny  in  the 
slot,"  remarked  Mr.  Archibald.  "  I  must  say,**  he 
continued,  "that  I  am  rather  surprised  at  the 
nature  of  your  communication.  I  supposed  you 
were  going  to  explain  your  somewhat  remarkable 
conduct  in  bringing  your  tent  into  my  camp  with- 
out asking  my  permission  or  even  speaking  to  me 
about  it ;  but  as  what  you  have  said  is  of  so  much 
more  importance  than  that  breach  of  good  man- 
ners I  will  let  the  latter  drop.  But  why  did 
you  ask  my  permission  to  address  Miss  Dearborn? 
Why  didn't  you  go  and  do  it  just  as  you  brought 
your  tent  here  ?  Did  you  think  that  if  you  had 
a  permit  from  me  for  that  sort  of  sport  you  could 
warn  off  trespassers?" 

"  It  was  something  of  that  kind,"  said  Raybold, 
"although  I  should  not  have  put  it  in  that  tri- 
fling way." 

"  Then  I  will  remark,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,"  that 
I  know  nothing  of  your  matrimonial  availability, 
and  I  do  not  want  to  know  anything  about  it. 
My  wife  and  I  brought  Miss  Dearborn  here  to 
enjoy  herself  in  the  woods,  not  to  be  sought  in 
marriage  by  strangers.  For  the  present  I  am 
her  guardian,  and  as  such  I  say  to  you  that  I  for- 
bid you  to  make  her  a  proposal  of  marriage,  or, 
indeed,  to  pay  her  any  attentions  which  she  may 
consider  serious.  If  I  see  that  you  do  not  respect 
126 


COBWEBS    TO    CAGE    A    LION 

my  wishes  in  this  regard,  I  shall  ask  you  to  con- 
sider our  acquaintance  at  an  end,  and  shall  dis- 
pense with  your  visits  to  this  camp.  Have  I 
spoken  plainly  ?" 

The  knitted  brows  of  Raybold  were  directed 
towards  the  ground.  "  You  have  spoken  plainly," 
he  said,  "  and  I  have  heard,"  and  with  a  bow  he 
walked  away. 

As  he  approached  his  tent  a  smile,  intended  to 
be  bitter,  played  about  his  features. 

"  A»  net  of  cobwebs,"  he  muttered,  "  to  cage  a 
lion  !" 

The  weather  had  now  grown  sultry,  the  after- 
noon was  very  hot,  and  there  was  a  general  de- 
sire to  lie  in  the  shade  and  doze.  Margery's 
plans  for  a  siesta  were  a  little  more  complicated 
than  those  of  the  others.  She  longed  to  lie  in  a 
hammock  under  great  trees,  surrounded  by  the 
leafy  screens  of  the  woodlands  ;  to  gaze  at  the 
blue  sky  through  the  loop-holes  in  the  towering 
branches  above  her,  and  to  dream  of  the  mysteries 
of  the  forest. 

"Martin,"  said  she,  to  the  young  guide,  "is 
there  a  hammock  among  the  things  we  brought 
with  us?" 

His  face  brightened.  "  Of  course  there  are 
hammocks,"  he  said.  "  I  wonder  none  of  you 
asked  about  them  before." 

"  I  never  thought  of  it,"  said  Margery.  "  I  haven't 
had  time  for  lounging,  and  as  for  Aunt  Harriet, 
she  would  not  get  into  one  for  five  dollars." 

"Where  shall  I  hang  it?"  he  asked. 

"  Not  anywhere  about  here.  Couldn't  you  find 
some  nice  place  in  the  woods,  not  far  away,  but 
127 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

where  I  would  not  be  seen,  and  might  have  a  little 
time  to  myself?  If  you  can,  come  and  tell  me 
quietly  where  it  is." 

"  I  know  what  she  means,"  said  Martin  to  him- 
self. "  It's  a  shame  that  she  should  be  annoyed. 
I  can  find  you  just  such  a  place,"  he  said  to  Mar- 
gery. "I  will  hang  the  hammock  there,  and  I 
will  take  care  that  nobody  else  shall  know  where 
it  is."  And  away  he  went,  bounding  heart  and 
foot. 

In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  returned. 
"  It's  all  ready,  Miss  Dearborn,"  he  said.  "  I  think 
I  have  found  a  place  you  will  like.  It's  generally 
very  close  in  the  woods  on  a  day  like  this,  but 
there  is  a  little  bluff  back  of  us,  and  at  the  end 
of  it  the  woods  are  open,  so  that  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  air  there." 

"  That  is  charming,"  said  Margery,  and  with  a 
book  in  her  hand  she  accompanied  Martin. 

They  were  each  so  interested  in  the  hammock 
business  that  they  walked  side  by  side,  instead  of 
one  following  the  other,  as  had  been  their  custom 
heretofore. 

"  Oh,  this  is  a  delightful  place  !"  cried  Margery. 
"  I  can  lie  here  and  look  down  into  the  very  heart 
of  the  woods ;  it  is  a  solitude  like  Robinson  Cru- 
soe's island." 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  it,"  said  Martin.  "  I  thought 
you  would.  I  have  put  up  the  hammock  strongly, 
so  that  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  it ;  but  if  there 
is  any  other  way  you  want  it  I  can  change  it. 
There  is  not  a  thing  here  that  can  hurt  you,  and 
if  a  little  snake  should  happen  along  it  would  be 
glad  to  get  away  from  you  if  you  give  it  a  chance. 
128 


COBWEBS    TO    CAGE    A    LION 

But  if  you  should  be  frightened  or  should  want 
anything  you  have  only  to  call  for  me.  I  shall 
hear  you,  for  I  shall  be  out  in  the  open  just  at 
the  edge  of  the  woods." 

"Thank  you  very  much,"  said  Margery;  "noth- 
ing could  be  nicer  than  this,  and  you  did  it  so 
quickly." 

He  smiled  with  pleasure  as  he  answered  that  he 
could  have  done  it  more  quickly  if  it  had  been 
necessary ;  and  then  he  retired  slowly,  that  she 
might  call  him  back  if  she  thought  of  anything 
she  wanted. 

Margery  lay  in  the  hammock,  gazing  out  over 
the  edge  of  the  bluff  into  the  heart  of  the  woods  ; 
her  closed  book  was  in  her  hand,  and  the  gentle 
breeze  that  shook  the  leaves  around  her  and  dis- 
turbed the  loose  curls  about  her  face  was  laden 
with  a  moist  spiciness  which  made  her  believe  it 
had  been  wandering  through  some  fragrant  foli- 
age of  a  kind  unknown  to  her,  far  away  in  the 
depths  of  the  forest,  where  she  could  not  walk 
on  account  of  the  rocks,  the  great  bushes,  and 
the  tall  ferns.  It  was  lovely  to  lie  and  watch 
the  leafy  boughs,  which  seemed  as  if  they  were 
waving  their  handkerchiefs  to  the  breeze  as  it 
passed. 

"I  don't  believe,"  she  said  to  herself,  as  she  cast 
her  eyes  upward  towards  an  open  space  above 
her,  "that  if  I  were  that  little  white  cloud  and 
could  float  over  the  whole  world  and  drop  down 
on  any  spot  I  chose  that  I  could  drop  into  a 
lovelier  place  than  this."  Then  she  brought 
her  gaze  again  to  earth,  and  her  mind  went 
out  between  the  shadowy  trunks  which  stretched 
i  129 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

away  and  away  and  away  towards  the  mysteries 
of  the  forest,  which  must  always  be  mysteries 
to  her  because  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  get 
to  them  and  solve  them — that  is,  if  she  remained 
awake.  But  if  Master  Morpheus  should  happen 
by,  she  might  yet  know  everything — for  there 
are  no  mysteries  which  cannot  be  solved  in 
dreams. 

Master  Morpheus  came,  but  with  him  came 
also  Arthur  Raybold  ;  not  bv  the  little  path- 
way that  approached  from  the  direction  of  the 
lake,  but  parting  the  bushes  as  if  he  had  been 
exploring.  When  she  heard  footsteps  behind 
her,  Margery  looked  up  quickly. 

"  Mr.  Raybold !"  she  exclaimed.  "  How  on  earth 
did  you  happen  here?" 

"  I  did  not  happen,"  said  he,  wiping  his  brow 
with  his  handkerchief.  "  I  have  been  looking  for 
you,  and  I  have  had  tough  work  of  it.  I  saw  you 
go  into  the  woods,  and  I  went  in  also,  although 
some  distance  below  here,  and  I  have  had  a  hard 
and  tiresome  job  working  my  way  up  to  you  ; 
but  I  have  found  you.  I  knew  I  should,  for  I 
had  bent  my  mind  to  the  undertaking." 

"Well,  I  wish  you  hadn't,"  said  Margery,  in  a 
vexed  tone.  "  I  came  here  to  be  alone  and  take 
a  nap,  and  I  wish  you  would  find  some  other  nice 
place  and  go  and  take  a  nap  yourself." 

He  smiled  deeply.  "That  would  not  answer 
my  purpose  at  all,"  said  he.  "Napping  is  far 
from  my  desires." 

"  But  I  don't  care  anything  about  your  desires," 
said  Margery,  in  a  tone  which  showed  she  was 
truly  vexed,  "  I  have  pre-empted  this  place,  and 
130 


COBWEBS    TO    CAGE    A    LION 

I  want  it  to  myself.  I  was  just  falling  into  a 
most  delightful  doze  when  you  came,  and  I  don't 
think  you  have  any  right  to  come  here  and  disturb 
me." 

"  The  sense  of  right,  Miss  Dearborn,"  said  he, 
"  comes  from  the  heart,  and  we  do  not  have  to 
ask  other  people  what  it  is.  My  heart  has  given 
me  the  right  to  come  here,  and  here  I  am." 

"  And  what  in  the  name  of  common-sense  are 
you  here  for  ?"  said  Margery.  "  Speaking  about 
your  heart  makes  me  think  you  came  here  to 
make  love  to  me.  Is  that  it?" 

"  It  is,"  said  he,  "and  I  wish  you  to  hear  me." 

"  Mr.  Raybold,"  said  she,  her  eyes  as  bright,  he 
thought,  as  if  they  had  belonged  to  his  sister 
when  she  was  urging  some  of  her  favorite  views 
upon  a  company,  "I  won't  listen  to  one  word  of 
such  stuff.  This  is  no  place  for  love-making,  and 
I  won't  have  it.  If  you  want  to  make  love  to 
me  you  can  wait  until  I  go  home,  and  then  you 
can  come  and  speak  to  my  mother  about  it,  and 
when  you  have  spoken  to  her  you  can  speak  to 
me,  but  I  won't  listen  to  it  here.  Not  one 
word !" 

Thus  did  the  indignant  craftiness  of  Margery 
express  itself.  "It's  a  good  deal  better,"  she 
thought,  "  than  telling  him  no,  and  having  him 
keep  on  begging  and  begging." 

"  Miss  Dearborn,"  said  Raybold,  "  what  I  have 
to  say  cannot  be  postponed.  The  words  within 
me  must  be  spoken,  and  I  came  here  to  speak 
them." 

With  a  sudden  supple  twist  Margery  turned 
herself,  hammock  and  all,  and  stood  on  her  feet 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

on  the  ground.    "  Martin  !"  she  cried,  at  the  top 
of  her  voice. 

Raybold  stepped  back  astonished.  "What  is 
this?"  he  exclaimed.  "Am  I  to  understand — " 

Before  he  had  time  to  complete  his  sentence 
Martin  Sanders  sprang  into  the  scene. 

"What  is  it  ?"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  glare  at 
Raybold,  as  if  he  suspected  why  he  had  been 
called. 

"  Martin,"  said  Margery,  with  a  good  deal  of 
sharpness  in  her  voice,  "  I  want  you  to  take  down 
this  hammock  and  carry  it  away.  I  can't  stay 
here  any  longer.  I  thought  that  at  least  one 
quiet  place  out-of-doors  could  be  found  where  I 
would  not  be  disturbed,  but  it  seems  there  is  no 
such  place.  Perhaps  you  can  hang  the  hammock 
somewhere  near  our  cabin." 

Martin's  face  grew  very  red.  "  I  think,"  said  he, 
"that  you  ought  not  to  be  obliged  to  go  away 
because  you  have  been  disturbed.  Whoever  dis- 
turbed you  should  go  away,  and  not  you." 

Now  Mr.  Raybold's  face  also  grew  red.  "  There 
has  been  enough  of  this  !"  he  exclaimed.  "  Guide, 
you  can  go  where  you  came  from.  You  are  not 
wanted  here.  If  Miss  Dearborn  wishes  her  ham- 
mock taken  down,  I  will  do  it."  Then  turning 
to  Margery,  he  continued :  "  You  do  not  know 
what  it  is  I  have  to  say  to  you.  If  you  do  not 
hear  me  now,  you  will  regret  it  all  your  life. 
Send  this  man  away." 

"  I  would  very  much  like  to  send  a  man  away 
if  I  knew  how  to  do  it,"  said  Margery. 

"Do  it?"  cried  Martin.    "Oh,  Miss  Dearborn, 
if  you  want  it  done,  ask  me  to  do  it  for  you  !" 
132 


COBWEBS    TO    CAGE    A    LION 

"You!"  shouted  Raybold,  making  two  steps 
towards  the  young  guide ;  then  he  stopped,  for 
Margery  stood  in  front  of  him. 

"  I  have  never  seen  two  men  fight,"  said  she, 
"and  I  don't  say  I  wouldn't  like  it,  just  once; 
but  you  would  have  to  have  on  boxing-gloves  ;  I 
couldn't  stand  a  fight  with  plain  hands,  so  you 
needn't  think  of  it.  Martin,  take  down  the  ham- 
mock just  as  quickly  as  you  can.  And  if  you 
want  to  stay  here,  Mr.  Raybold,  you  can  stay, 
but  if  you  want  to  talk,  you  can  talk  to  the 
trees." 

Martin  heaved  a  sigh  of  disappointment,  and 
proceeded  to  unfasten  the  hammock  from  the 
trees  to  which  it  had  been  tied.  For  a  moment 
Raybold  looked  as  if  he  were  about  to  interfere, 
but  there  was  something  in  the  feverish  agility 
of  the  young  guide  which  made  his  close  prox- 
imity as  undesirable  as  that  of  a  package  of  dyna- 
mite. 

Margery  turned  to  leave  the  place,  but  suddenly 
stopped.  She  would  wait  until  Martin  was  ready 
to  go  with  her.  She  would  not  leave  those  two 
young  men  alone. 

Raybold  was  very  angry.  He  knew  well  that 
such  a  chance  for  a  private  interview  was  not 
likely  to  occur  again,  and  he  would  not  give  up. 
He  approached  the  young  girl. 

"Margery,"  he  said,  "if  you — " 

"  Martin,"  she  cried  to  the  guide,  who  was  now 
ready  to  go,  "  put  down  that  hammock  and  come 
here.  Now,  sir,"  she  said,  turning  to  Raybold, 
"  let  me  hear  you  call  me  Margery  again  !" 

She  waited  for  about  a  half  a  minute,  but  she 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

was  not  called  by  name.  Then  she  and  Martin 
went  away.  She  had  nearly  reached  the  cabin 
before  she  spoke,  and  then  she  turned  to  the 
young  man  and  said :  "  Martin,  you  needn't 
trouble  yourself  about  putting  up  that  hammock 
now  ;  I  don't  want  to  lie  in  it.  I'm  going  into 
the  house.  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for 
the  way  you  stood  by  me." 

"  Stood  by  you  !"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  low  voice, 
which  seemed  struggling  in  the  grasp  of  some- 
thing which  might  or  might  not  be  stronger  than 
itself.  "You  don't  know  how  glad  I  am  to  stand 
by  you,  and  how  I  would  always — " 

"Thank  you,"  said  Margery  ;  "thank  you  very 
much,"  and  she  walked  away  towards  the  cabin. 

"  Oh,  dear  !"  she  sighed,  as  she  opened  the  door 
and  went  in. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

A    MAN    WHO    FEELS    HIMSELF    A    MAN 

TOWARDS  the  end  of  the  afternoon,  when  the 
air  had  grown  cooler,  Mr.  Archibald  proposed  a 
boating  expedition  to  the  lower  end  of  the  lake. 
His  boat  was  large  enough  for  Matlack,  the 
three  ladies,  and  himself,  and  if  the  two  young 
men  wished  to  follow,  they  had  a  boat  of  their 
own. 

When  first  asked  to  join  the  boating  party  Miss 
Corona  Raybold  hesitated  ;  she  did  not  care  very 
much  about  boating ;  but  when  she  found  that  if 
she  stayed  in  camp  she  would  have  no  one  to 
talk  to,  she  accepted  the  invitation. 

Mr.  Archibald  took  the  oars  nearest  the  stern, 
while  Matlack  seated  himself  forward,  and  this 
arrangement  suited  Miss  Corona  exactly. 

The  boat  kept  down  the  middle  of  the  lake, 
greatly  aided  by  the  current,  and  Corona  talked 
steadily  to  Mr.  Archibald.  Mrs.  Archibald,  who 
always  wanted  to  do  what  was  right,  and  who 
did  not  like  to  be  left  out  of  any  conversation 
on  important  subjects,  made  now  and  then  a  re- 
mark, and  whenever  she  spoke  Corona  turned 
to  her  and  listened  with  the  kindest  attention, 
but  the  moment  the  elder  lady  had  finished,  the 
other  resumed  her  own  thread  of  observation 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

without  the  slightest  allusion  to  what  she  had 
just  heard. 

As  for  Mr.  Archibald,  he  seldom  said  a  word. 
He  listened,  sometimes  his  eyes  twinkled,  and  he 
pulled  easily  and  steadily.  Doubtless  he  had  a 
good  many  ideas,  but  none  of  them  was  expressed. 
As  for  Margery,  she  leaned  back  in  the  stern,  and 
thought  that,  after  all,  she  liked  Miss  Raybold 
better  than  she  did  her  brother,  for  the  young 
lady  did  not  speak  one  word  to  her,  nor  did  she 
appear  to  regard  her  in  any  way. 

"But  how  on  earth,"  thought  Margery,  "she 
can  float  over  this  beautiful  water  and  under  this 
lovely  sky,  with  the  grandeur  of  the  forest  all 
about  her,  and  yet  pay  not  the  slightest  atten- 
tion to  anything  she  sees,  but  keep  steadily  talk- 
ing about  her  own  affairs  and  the  society  she  be- 
longs to,  I  cannot  imagine.  She  might  as  well 
live  in  a  cellar  and  have  pamphlets  and  reformers 
shoved  down  to  her  through  the  coal-hole." 

Messrs.  Clyde  and  Raybold  accompanied  the 
larger  boat  in  their  own  skiff.  It  was  an  un- 
wieldy craft,  with  but  one  pair  of  oars,  and  as 
the  two  young  men  were  not  accustomed  to  row- 
ing together,  and  as  Mr.  Raybold  was  not  ac- 
customed to  rowing  at  all  and  did  not  like  it,  Mr. 
Clyde  pulled  the  boat.  But,  do  what  he  could,  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  get  near  the  other  boat. 
Matlack,  who  was  not  obliged  to  listen  to  Miss 
Corona,  kept  his  eye  upon  the  following  skiff,  and 
seemed  to  fear  a  collision  if  the  two  boats  came 
close  together,  for  if  Clyde  pulled  hard  he  pulled 
harder.  Arthur  Raybold  was  not  satisfied. 

"I  thought  you  were  a  better  oarsman,"  he 
136 


A   MAN    FEELS    HIMSELF   A    MAN 

said  to  the  other  ;  "  but  now  I  suppose  we  shall 
not  come  near  them  until  we  land." 

But  the  Archibald  party  did  not  land.  Under 
the  guidance  of  Matlack  they  swept  slowly 
around  the  lower  end  of  the  lake  ;  they  looked 
over  the  big  untenanted  camp -ground  there; 
they  stopped  for  a  moment  to  gaze  into  the  rift 
in  the  forest  through  which  ran  the  stream  which 
connected  this  lake  with  another  beyond  it,  and 
then  they  rowed  homeward,  keeping  close  to  the 
farther  shore,  so  as  to  avoid  the  strength  of  the 
current. 

Clyde,  who  had  not  reached  the  end  of  the  lake, 
now  turned  and  determined  to  follow  the  tactics 
of  the  other  boat  and  keep  close  to  the  shore,  but 
on  the  side  nearest  to  the  camp.  This  exasper- 
ated Raybold. 

"What  are  you  trying  to  do?"  he  said.  "If 
you  keep  in  the  middle  we  may  get  near  them, 
and  why  should  we  be  on  one  side  of  the  lake  and 
they  on  the  other  ?" 

"  I  want  to  get  back  as  soon  as  they  do,"  said 
Clyde,  "and  I  don't  want  to  pull  against  the 
current." 

"  Stop  !"  said  Raybold.  "  If  you  are  tired,  let 
me  have  the  oars." 

Harrison  Clyde  looked  for  a  minute  at  his  com- 
panion, and  then  deliberately  changed  the  course 
of  the  boat  and  rowed  straight  towards  the  shore, 
paying  no  attention  whatever  to  the  excited  re- 
monstrances of  Raybold.  He  beached  the  boat  at 
a  rather  poor  landing-place  among  some  bushes, 
and  then,  jumping  out,  he  made  her  fast. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  cried  Raybold,  as  he 
137 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

scrambled  on  shore.  u  Is  she  leaking  more  than 
she  did  ?  What  is  the  matter  ?" 

u  She  is  not  leaking  more  than  usual,"  said  the 
other,  "but  I  am  not  going  to  pull  against  that 
current  with  you  growling  in  the  stern.  I  am 
going  to  walk  back  to  camp." 

In  consequence  of  this  resolution  the  two  young 
men  reached  Camp  Rob  about  the  same  time 
that  the  Archibald  boat  touched  shore,  and  at 
least  an  hour  before  they  would  have  arrived  had 
they  remained  in  their  boat. 

The  party  was  met  by  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  bearing 
letters  and  newspapers.  A  man  had  arrived  from 
Sadler's  in  their  absence,  and  he  had  brought  the 
mail.  Nearly  every  one  had  letters  ;  there  was 
even  something  for  Martin.  Standing  where  they 
had  landed,  seated  on  bits  of  rock,  on  the  grass, 
or  on  camp-chairs,  all  read  their  letters. 

While  thus  engaged  a  gentleman  approached 
the  party  from  the  direction  of  Camp  Roy.  He 
was  tall,  well  built,  handsomely  dressed  in  a  suit 
of  light-brown  tweed,  and  carried  himself  with  a 
buoyant  uprightness.  A  neat  straw  hat  with  a 
broad  ribbon  shaded  his  smooth-shaven  face, 
which  sparkled  with  cordial  good-humor.  A  blue 
cravat  was  tied  tastefully  under  a  broad  white 
collar,  and  in  his  hand  he  carried  a  hickory 
walking-stick,  cut  in  the  woods,  but  good  enough 
for  a  city  sidewalk.  Margery  was  the  first  to  raise 
her  eyes  at  the  sound  of  the  quickly  approaching 
footsteps. 

"  Goodness  gracious  !"  she  exclaimed,  and  then 
everybody  looked  up. 

For  a  moment  the  new-comer  was  gazed  upon 
138 


A   MAN    FEELS    HIMSELF   A    MAN 

in  silence.  From  what  gigantic  bandbox  could 
this  well-dressed  stranger  have  dropped  ?  Then, 
with  a  loud  laugh,  Mr.  Archibald  cried,  "The 
bishop  !" 

No  wonder  there  had  not  been  instant  recog- 
nition. The  loose,  easy-fitting  clothes  gave  no 
hint  of  redundant  plumpness  ;  no  soiled  shovel- 
hat  cast  a  shadow  over  the  smiling  face,  and  a 
glittering  shirt  front  banished  all  thought  of 
gutta-percha. 

"  Madam,"  exclaimed  the  bishop,  raising  his 
hat  and  stepping  quickly  towards  Mrs.  Archibald, 
"  I  cannot  express  the  pleasure  I  feel  in  meeting 
you  again.  And  as  for  you,  sir,"  holding  out  his 
hand  to  Mr.  Archibald,  "  I  have  no  words  in  which 
to  convey  my  feelings.  Look  upon  a  man,  sir,  who 
feels  himself  a  man,  and  then  remember  from 
what  you  raised  him.  I  can  say  no  more  now, 
but  I  can  never  forget  what  you  have  done,"  and 
as  he  spoke  he  pressed  Mr.  Archibald's  hand 
with  an  honest  fervor,  which  distorted  for  a  mo- 
ment the  features  of  that  gentleman. 

From  one  to  the  other  of  the  party  the  bishop 
glanced,  as  he  said,  "  How  glad,  how  unutterably 
glad,  I  am  to  be  again  among  you  !"  Turning 
his  eyes  towards  Miss  Raybold,  he  stopped.  That 
young  lady  had  put  down  the  letter  she  was  read- 
ing, and  was  gazing  at  him  through  her  spectacles 
with  calm  intensity.  "  This  lady,"  said  the  bishop, 
turning  towards  Raybold,  "is  your  sister,  I  pre- 
sume ?  May  I  have  the  honor  ?" 

Raybold  looked  at  him  without  speaking.  Here 
was  an  example  of  the  silly  absurdity  of  throwing 
pearls  before  swine.  He  had  never  wanted  to 
139 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

have  anything  to  do  with  the  fellow  when  he  was 
in  the  gutter,  and  he  wanted  nothing  to  do  with 
him  now. 

With  a  little  flush  on  her  face  Mrs.  Archibald 
rose. 

"  Miss  Raybold,"  she  said,  "  let  me  present  to 
you" — and  she  hesitated  for  a  moment — "the 
gentleman  we  call  the  bishop.  I  think  you  have 
heard  us  speak  of  him." 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Raybold,  rising,  with  a 
charming  smile  on  her  handsome  face,  and  ex- 
tending her  hand,  "  I  have  heard  of  him,  and  I 
am  very  glad  to  meet  him." 

"  I  have  also  heard  of  you,"  said  the  bishop,  as 
he  stood  smiling  beside  Corona's  camp-chair, 
"  and  I  have  regretted  that  I  have  been  the  inno- 
cent means  of  preventing  you  for  a  time  from 
occupying  your  brother's  camp." 

"  Oh,  do  not  mention  that,"  said  Corona,  sweet- 
ly. "  I  walked  over  there  yesterday,  and  I  think 
it  is  a  great  deal  pleasanter  here,  so  you  have 
really  done  me  a  favor.  I  am  particularly  glad 
to  see  you,  because,  from  the  little  I  have  heard 
said  about  you,  I  think  you  must  agree  with  some 
of  my  cherished  opinions.  For  one  thing,  I  am 
quite  certain  you  favor  the  assertion  of  individu- 
ality ;  your  actions  prove  that." 

"  Really,"  said  the  bishop,  seating  himself  near 
her,  "  I  have  not  given  much  thought  to  the 
subject ;  but  I  suppose  I  have  asserted  my  in- 
dividuality. If  I  have,  however,  I  have  done  it 
indefinitely.  Everybody  about  me  having  some 
definite  purpose  in  life,  and  I  having  none,  I  am, 
in  a  negative  way,  a  distinctive  individual.  It 
140 


A   MAN    FEELS    HIMSELF   A    MAN 

is  a  pity  I  am  so  different  from  other  people, 
but — " 

"  No,  it  is  not  a  pity,"  interrupted  Corona,  the 
color  coming  into  her  cheeks  and  a  brighter  light 
into  her  eyes.  "  Our  individuality  is  a  sacred  re- 
sponsibility. It  is  given  to  us  for  us  to  protect 
and  encourage  —  I  may  say,  to  revere.  It  is  a 
trust  for  which  we  should  be  called  to  account  by 
ourselves,  and  we  shall  be  false  and  disloyal  to 
ourselves  if  we  cannot  show  that  we  have  done 
everything  in  our  power  for  the  establishment 
and  recognition  of  our  individuality." 

"  It  delights  me  to  hear  you  speak  in  that  way," 
exclaimed  the  bishop.  "  It  encourages  and  cheers 
me.  We  are  what  we  are ;  and  if  we  can  be 
more  fully  what  we  are  than  we  have  been,  then 
we  are  more  truly  ourselves  than  before." 

"And  what  can  be  nobler,"  cried  Corona,  "than 
to  be,  in  the  most  distinctive  sense  of  the  term, 
ourselves  ?" 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald  walked  together  tow- 
ards their  cabin. 

"I  want  to  be  neighborly  and  hospitable,"  said 
he,  "  but  it  seems  to  me  that,  now  that  the  way 
is  clear  for  Miss  Raybold  to  move  her  tent 
to  her  own  camp  and  set  up  house  -  keeping 
there,  we  should  not  be  called  upon  to  enter- 
tain her,  and,  if  we  want  to  enjoy  ourselves  in 
our  own  way,  we  can  do  it  without  thinking  of 
her." 

"We  shall  certainly  not  do  it,"  said  his  wife, 
"  if  we  do  think  of  her.  I  am  very  much  disap- 
pointed in  her.  She  is  not  a  companion  at  all  for 
Margery ;  she  never  speaks  to  her ;  and,  on  the 
141 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

other  hand,  I  should  think  you  would  wish  she 
would  never  speak  to  you." 

"Well,"  said  her  husband,  "that  feeling  did 
grow  upon  me  somewhat  this  afternoon.  Up  to 
a  certain  point  she  is  amusing." 

Here  he  was  interrupted  by  Mrs.  Perkenpine, 
who  planted  herself  before  him. 

"  I  s'pose  you  think  I  didn't  do  right,"  she  said, 
"  'cause,  when  that  big  bundle  came  it  had  your 
name  on  it;  but  I  knew  it  was  clothes,  and  that 
they  was  for  that  man  in  our  camp,  and  so  I 
took  them  to  him  myself.  I  heard  Phil  say  that 
the  sooner  that  man  was  up  and  dressed,  the 
better  it  would  be  for  all  parties  ;  and  as  Martin 
had  gone  off,  and  there  wasn't  nobody  to  take 
his  clothes  to  him,  I  took  them  to  him,  and  that's 
the  long  and  short  of  it." 

"  I  wondered  how  he  got  them,"  said  Mr.  Archi- 
bald, "  but  I  am  glad  you  carried  them  to  him." 
Then,  speaking  to  his  wife,  he  added,  "  It  may  be 
a  good  thing  that  I  gave  him  a  chance  to  assert 
his  individuality." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

MRS.    PERKENPINE   ASSERTS   HER    INDIVIDUALITY 

ABOUT  half  an  hour  after  the  beginning  of  the 
conversation  between  the  bishop  and  Miss  Corona, 
Mrs.  Perkenpine  came  to  the  latter  and  informed 
her  that  supper  was  ready,  and  three  times  after 
that  first  announcement  did  she  repeat  the  in- 
formation. At  last  the  bishop  rose  and  said  he 
would  not  keep  Miss  Raybold  from  her  meal. 

"Will  you  not  join  us?"  she  asked.  "I  shall  be 
glad  to  have  you  do  so." 

The  bishop  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then 
he  accompanied  Corona. 

As  Mrs.  Perkenpine  turned  from  the  camp 
cooking-stove,  a  long-handled  pan,  well  filled  with 
slices  of  hot  meat,  in  her  hand,  she  stood  for  a 
moment  amazed.  Slowly  approaching  the  fittle 
table  outside  of  the  tent  were  the  bishop  and 
Miss  Raybold,  and  glancing  beyond  them  tow- 
ards the  lake,  she  saw  Clyde  and  Raybold,  to 
whom  she  had  yelled  that  supper  was  ready,  the 
one  with  his  arms  folded,  gazing  out  over  the 
water,  and  the  other  strolling  backward  and  for- 
ward, as  if  he  had  thought  of  going  to  his  supper, 
but  had  not  quite  made  up  his  mind  to  it. 

Mrs.  Perkenpine's  face  grew  red.  "They  are 
waitin'  for  a  chance  to  speak  to  that  Archibald 
H3 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

gal,"  she  thought.  "Well,  let  them  wait.  And 
she's  bringing  him  !  She  needn't  s'pose  I  don't 
know  him.  I've  seen  him  splittin'  wood  at  Sad- 
ler's, and  I  don't  cook  for  sech."  So  saying,  she 
strode  to  some  bushes  a  little  back  of  the  stove, 
and  dashed  the  panful  of  meat  behind  them. 
Then  she  returned,  and  seizing  the  steaming  cof- 
fee-pot, she  poured  its  contents  on  the  ground. 
Then  she  took  up  a  smaller  pan,  containing  some 
fried  potatoes,  hot  and  savory,  and  these  she 
threw  after  the  meat. 

The  bishop  and  Corona  now  reached  the  table 
and  seated  themselves.  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  her  face 
as  hard  and  immovable  as  the  trunk  of  an  oak,  ap- 
proached, and  placed  before  them  some  slices  of 
cold  bread,  some  butter,  and  two  glasses  of  water. 

Still  earnestly  talking,  her  eyes  sometimes 
dimmed  with  tears  of  excitement  as  she  descanted 
upon  her  favorite  theories,  Corona  began  to  eat 
what  was  before  her.  She  buttered  a  slice  of 
bread,  and  if  the  bishop  chanced  to  say  anything 
she  ate  some  of  it.  She  drank  some  water,  and  she 
talked  and  talked  and  talked.  She  did  not  know 
what  she  was  eating.  It  might  have  been  a  Lord 
Mayor's  dinner  or  a  beggar's  crust ;  her  mind 
took  no  cognizance  of  such  an  unimportant  mat- 
ter. As  for  her  companion,  he  knew  very  well 
what  he  was  eating,  and  as  he  gazed  about  him, 
and  saw  that  there  were  no  signs  of  anything 
more,  his  heart  sank  lower  and  lower ;  but  he 
ate  slice  after  slice  of  bread,  for  he  was  hungry, 
and  he  hoped  that  when  the  two  young  men  came 
to  the  table  they  would  call  for  more  substantial 
food. 

144 


ASSERTS    HER    INDIVIDUALITY 

But  long  before  they  arrived  Corona  finished 
her  meal  and  rose. 

"  Now  that  we  have  had  our  supper,"  she  said, 
"  let  us  go  where  we  shall  not  be  annoyed  by  the 
smell  of  food,  and  continue  our  conversation." 

"  Is  it  possible,"  thought  the  bishop,  "  that  she 
can  be  annoyed  by  the  smell  of  hot  meat,  pota- 
toes, and  coffee?  I  suppose  the  delicious  odor 
comes  from  the  other  supper-table.  Heavens ! 
Why  wasn't  I  asked  there  ?" 

There  was  a  dreadfu)  storm  when  Raybold  and 
Clyde  came  to  the  table  ;  but  Mrs.  Perkenpine 
remained  hard  and  immovable  through  it  all. 

"Your  sister  and  that  tramp  has  been  here," 
said  she,  "  and  this  is  all  there  is  left.  If  you  keep 
your  hogs  in  your  house,  you  can't  expect  to 
count  on  your  victuals." 

Some  more  coffee  was  made,  and  that,  with 
bread,  composed  the  young  men's  supper. 

When  Arthur  Raybold  had  finished  his  meal,  he 
walked  to  the  spot  where  Corona  and  the  bishop 
were  conversing,  and  stood  there  silently.  He 
was  afraid  to  interrupt  his  sister  by  speaking  to 
her,  but  he  thought  that  his  presence  might  have 
an  effect  upon  her  companion.  It  did  have  an 
effect,  for  the  bishop  seized  the  opportunity 
created  by  the  arrival  of  a  third  party,  excused 
himself,  and  departed  at  the  first  break  in  Corona's 
flow  of  words. 

"  I  wish,  Arthur,"  she  said,  "that  when  you  see 
I  am  engaged  in  a  conversation,  you  would  wait 
at  least  a  reasonable  time  before  interrupting  it." 

"A  reasonable  time!"  said  Raybold,  with  a 
laugh.  "  I  like  that !  But  I  came  here  to  inter- 
K  145 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

rupt  your  conversation.  Do  you  know  who  that 
fellow  is  you  were  talking  to?  He's  a  common, 
good-for-nothing  tramp.  He  goes  round  split- 
ting wood  for  his  meals.  Clyde  and  I  kept  him 
here  to  cook  our  meals  because  we  had  no  ser- 
vant, and  he's  been  in  bed  for  days  because  he 
had  no  clothes  to  wear.  Now  you  are  treating 
him  as  if  he  were  a  gentleman,  and  you  actually 
brought  him  to  our  table,  where,  like  the  half- 
starved  cur  that  he  is,  he  has  eaten  up  every- 
thing fit  to  eat  that  we  were  to  have  for  our 
supper." 

"  He  did  not  eat  all  of  it,"  said  Corona,  "  for 
I  ate  some  myself;  and  if  he  is  the  good-for- 
nothing  tramp  and  the  other  things  you  call  him, 
I  wish  I  could  meet  with  more  such  tramps.  I 
tell  you,  Arthur,  that  if  you  were  to  spend  the 
next  five  years  in  reading  and  studying,  you 
could  not  get  into  your  mind  one-tenth  of  the 
serious  information,  the  power  to  reason  intelli- 
gently upon  your  perceptions,  the  ability  to  col- 
late, compare,  and  refer  to  their  individual  causes 
the  impressions — " 

"  Oh,  bosh  !"  said  her  brother.  "  What  I  want 
to  know  is,  are  you  going  to  make  friends  with 
that  man  and  invite  him  to  our  table  ?" 

"  I  shall  invite  him  if  I  see  fit,"  said  she.  "  He 
is  an  extremely  intelligent  person." 

"Well,"  answered  he,  "if  you  do  I  shall  have  a 
separate  table,"  and  he  walked  away. 

As  soon  as  he  had  left  Corona,  the  bishop  re- 
paired to  the  Archibalds'  cooking-tent,  where  he 
saw  Matlack  at  work. 

"  I  have  come,"  he  said,  with  a  pleasant  smile, 
146 


ASSERTS    HER    INDIVIDUALITY 

"to  ask  a  very  great  favor.  Would  it  be  conven- 
ient for  you  to  give  me  something  to  eat  ?  Any- 
thing in  the  way  of  meat,  hot  or  cold,  and  some 
tea  or  coffee,  as  I  see  there  is  a  pot  still  steam- 
ing on  your  stove.  I  have  had  an  unlucky  experi- 
ence. You  know  I  have  been  preparing  my  own 
meals  at  the  other  camp,  but  to-day,  when  Mrs. 
Perkenpine  brought  me  my  clothes,  she  carried 
away  with  her  all  the  provisions  that  had  been 
left  there.  I  supped,  it  is  true,  with  Miss  Ray- 
bold,  but  her  appetite  is  so  delicate  and  her  fare 
so  extremely  simple  that  I  confidentially  acknowl- 
edge that  I  am  half  starved." 

During  these  remarks  Matlack  had  stood  quiet- 
ly gazing  at  the  bishop.  "  Do  you  see  that  pile 
of  logs  and  branches  there?"  said  he;  "that's 
the  firewood  that's  got  to  be  cut  for  to-morrow, 
which  is  Sunday,  when  we  don't  want  to  be  cuttin' 
wood  ;  and  if  you'll  go  to  work  and  cut  it  into 
pieces  to  fit  this  stove,  I'll  give  you  your  supper. 
You  can  go  to  the  other  camp  and  sleep  where 
you  have  been  sleepin',  if  you  want  to,  and  in  the 
mornin'  I'll  give  you  your  breakfast.  I  'ain't  got 
no  right  to  give  you  Mr.  Archibald's  victuals,  but 
what  you  eat  I'll  pay  for  out  of  my  own  pocket, 
considerin'  that  you'll  do  my  work.  Then  to- 
morrow I'll  give  you  just  one  hour  after  you've 
finished  your  breakfast  to  get  out  of  this  camp 
altogether,  entirely  out  of  my  sight.  I  tried  to 
have  you  sent  away  before,  but  other  people  took 
you  up,  and  so  I  said  no  more  ;  but  now  things 
are  different.  When  a  man  pulls  up  what  I've 
drove  down,  and  sets  loose  what  I've  locked  up, 
and  the  same  as  snaps  his  fingers  in  my  face  when 
H7 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

I'm  attendin'  to  my  business,  then  I  don't  let 
that  man  stay  in  my  camp." 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  the  bishop,  "  but  in  case  I 
should  not  go  away  within  the  time  specified, 
what  would  be  your  course  ?" 

In  a  few  brief  remarks,  inelegant  but  expres- 
sive, the  guide  outlined  his  intentions  of  taking 
measures  which  would  utterly  eliminate  the  physi- 
cal energy  of  the  other. 

"  I  haven't  taken  no  advantage  of  you,"  he 
said,  "  I  haven't  come  down  on  you  when  you 
hadn't  no  clothes  to  go  away  in ;  and  now  that 
you've  got  good  clothes,  I  don't  want  to  spile 
them  if  I  can  help  it ;  but  they're  not  goin'  to 
save  you  —  mind  my  words.  What  I've  said  I'll 
stick  to." 

"  Mr.  Matlack,"  said  the  bishop,  "  I  consider 
that  you  are  entirely  correct  in  all  your  positions. 
As  to  that  unfortunate  affair  of  the  boat,  I  had 
intended  coming  to  you  and  apologizing  most 
sincerely  for  my  share  in  it.  It  was  an  act  of 
great  foolishness,  but  that  does  not  in  the  least 
excuse  me.  I  apologize  now,  and  beg  that  you 
will  believe  that  I  truly  regret  having  interfered 
with  your  arrangements. 

"  That  won't  do  !"  exclaimed  the  guide.  "  When 
a  man  as  much  as  snaps  his  fingers  in  my  face, 
it's  no  use  for  him  to  come  and  apologize.  That's 
not  what  I  want." 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  the  bishop,  "  you  will  par- 
don me  if  I  insist  upon  expressing  my  regrets.  I 
do  that  for  my  own  sake  as  well  as  yours ;  but 
we  will  drop  that  subject.  When  you  ask  me  to 
cut  wood  to  pay  for  my  meals,  you  are  entirely 
148 


ASSERTS    HER    INDIVIDUALITY 

right,  and  I  honor  your  sound  opinion  upon  this 
subject.  I  will  cut  the  wood  and  earn  my  meals, 
but  there  is  one  amendment  to  your  plan  which 
I  would  like  to  propose.  To-morrow  is  Sunday ; 
for  that  reason  we  should  endeavor  to  make  the 
day  as  quiet  and  peaceable  as  possible,  and  we 
should  avoid  everything  which  may  be  difficult 
of  explanation  or  calculated  to  bring  about  an 
unpleasant  difference  of  opinion  among  other 
members  of  the  party.  Therefore,  will  you  post- 
pone the  time  at  which  you  will  definitely  urge 
my  departure  until  Monday  morning  ?" 

"  Well,"  said  Matlack, "  now  I  come  to  think  of  it, 
it  might  be  well  not  to  kick  up  a  row  on  Sunday, 
and  I  will  put  it  off  until  Monday  morning ;  but 
mind,  there's  no  nonsense  about  me.  What  I  say  I 
mean,  and  on  Monday  morning  you  march  of  your 
own  accord,  or  I'll  attend  to  the  matter  myself." 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  bishop  ;  "  thank  you 
very  much.  To-morrow  I  will  consider  your  in- 
vitation to  leave  this  place,  and  if  you  will  come 
to  Camp  Roy  about  half -past  six  on  Monday 
morning  I  will  then  give  you  my  decision.  Will 
that  hour  suit  you  ?" 

"  All  right,"  said  Matlack,  "  you  might  as  well 
make  it  a  business  matter.  It's  going  to  be  busi- 
ness on  my  side,  I'd  have  you  know." 

"Good  —  very  good,"  said  the  bishop,  "and 
now  let  me  get  at  that  wood." 

So  saying,  he  put  down  his  cane,  took  off  his 
hat,  his  coat,  his  waistcoat,  his  collar,  and  his 
cravat  and  his  cuffs  ;  he  rolled  up  his  sleeves,  he 
turned  up  the  bottoms  of  his  trousers,  and  then 
taking  an  axe,  he  set  to  work. 
149 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

In  a  few  minutes  Martin  arrived  on  the  scene. 
"  What's  up  now  ?"  said  he. 

"  He's  cuttin'  wood  for  his  meals,"  replied  Mat- 
lack. 

"  I  thought  you  were  going  to  bounce  him  as 
soon  as  he  got  up  ?" 

"  That's  put  off  until  Monday  morning,"  said 
Matlack.  "Then  he  marches.  I've  settled 
that." 

"  Did  he  agree  ?"  asked  Martin. 

*  'Tain't  necessary  for  him  to  agree  ;  he'll  find 
that  out  Monday  morning." 

Martin  stood  and  looked  at  the  bishop  as  he 
worked. 

"  I  wish  you  would  get  him  to  cut  wood  every 
day,"  said  he.  "  By  George,  how  he  makes  that 
axe  fly  !" 

When  the  bishop  finished  his  work  he  drove 
his  axe-head  deep  into  a  stump,  washed  his  hands 
and  his  face,  resumed  the  clothing  he  had  laid 
aside,  and  then  sat  down  to  supper.  There  was 
nothing  stingy  about  Matlack,  and  the  wood- 
chopper  made  a  meal  which  amply  compensated 
him  for  the  deficiencies  of  the  Perkenpine  re- 
past. 

When  he  had  finished  he  hurried  to  the  spot 
where  the  party  was  in  the  habit  of  assembling 
around  the  camp-fire.  He  found  there  some 
feebly  burning  logs,  and  Mr.  Clyde,  who  sat  alone, 
smoking  his  pipe. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  the  bishop. 
"Where  are  all  our  friends?" 

"  I  suppose  they  are  all  in  bed,"  said  Clyde, 
"with  the  bedclothes  pulled  over  their  heads — 
150 


ASSERTS    HER    INDIVIDUALITY 

that  is,  except  one,  and  I  suspect  she  is  talking  in 
her  sleep.  They  were  all  here  as  usual,  and  Mr. 
Archibald  thought  he  would  break  the  spell  by 
telling  a  fishing  story.  He  told  me  he  was  going 
to  try  to  speak  against  time  ;  but  it  wasn't  of 
any  use.  She  just  slid  into  the  middle  of  his  re- 
marks as  a  duck  slides  into  the  water,  and  then 
she  began  an  oration.  I  really  believe  she  did 
not  know  that  any  one  else  was  talking." 

"  That  may  have  been  the  case,"  said  the  bish- 
op; "she  has  a  wonderful  power  of  self-concen- 
tration." 

u  Very  true,"  said  Clyde,  "  and  this  time  she  con- 
centrated herself  so  much  upon  herself  that  the 
rest  of  us  got  away,  one  by  one,  and  when  all  the 
others  had  gone  she  went.  Then,  when  I  found 
she  really  had  gone,  I  came  back.  By-the-way, 
bishop,"  he  continued,  "there  is  something  I 
would  like  to  do,  and  I  want  you  to  help  me." 

"Name  it,"  said  the  other. 

"I  am  getting  tired  of  the  way  the  Raybolds 
are  trespassing  on  the  good-nature  of  the  Archi- 
balds, and,  whatever  they  do,  I  don't  intend  to 
let  them  make  me  trespass  any  longer.  I  haven't 
anything  to  do  with  Miss  Raybold,  but  the  other 
tent  belongs  as  much  to  me  as  it  does  to  her 
brother,  and  I  am  going  to  take  it  back  to  our 
own  camp.  And  what  is  more,  I  am  going  to 
have  my  meals  there.  I  don't  want  that  wooden- 
headed  Mrs.  Perkenpine  to  cook  for  me." 

"  How  would  you  like  me  to  do  it  ?"  asked  the 
bishop,  quickly. 

"  That  would  be  fine,"  said  Clyde.  "  I  will  help, 
and  we  will  set  up  house-keeping  there  again,  and 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

if  Raybold  doesn't  choose  to  come  and  live  in  his 
own  camp  he  can  go  wherever  he  pleases.  I  am 
not  going  to  have  him  manage  things  for  me. 
Don't  you  think  that  you  and  I  can  carry  that 
tent  over?" 

"  With  ease  !"  exclaimed  the  bishop.  "  When 
do  you  want  to  move — Monday  morning  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  Clyde,  "after  breakfast." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    HERMITS   ASSOCIATE 

DURING  the  next  day  no  one  in  camp  had  rea- 
son to  complain  of  Corona  Raybold.  She  did  not 
seem  inclined  to  talk  to  anybody,  but  spent  the 
most  of  her  time  alone.  She  wrote  a  little  and 
reflected  a  great  deal,  sometimes  walking,  some- 
times seated  in  the  shade,  gazing  far  beyond  the 
sky. 

When  the  evening  fire  was  lighted,  her  mood 
changed  so  that  one  might  have  supposed  that 
another  fire  had  been  lighted  somewhere  in  the 
interior  of  her  mental  organism.  Her  fine  eyes 
glistened,  her  cheeks  gently  reddened,  and  her 
whole  body  became  animated  with  an  energy 
created  by  warm  emotions. 

"  I  have  something  I  wish  to  say  to  you  all," 
she  exclaimed,  as  she  reached  the  fire.  "  Where 
is  Arthur?  Will  somebody  please  call  him  ?  And 
I  would  like  to  see  both  the  guides.  It  is  some- 
thing very  important  that  I  have  to  say.  Mrs. 
Perkenpine  will  be  here  in  a  moment ;  I  asked 
her  to  come.  If  Mr.  Matlack  is  not  quite  ready, 
can  he  not  postpone  what  he  is  doing?  I  am 
sure  you  will  all  be  interested  in  what  I  have  to 
say,  and  I  do  not  want  to  begin  until  every  one 
is  here." 

153 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Mr.  Archibald  saw  that  she  was  very  much  in 
earnest,  and  so  he  sent  for  the  guides,  and  Clyde 
went  to  call  Raybold. 

In  a  few  minutes  Clyde  returned  and  told  Co- 
rona that  her  brother  had  said  he  did  not  care 
to  attend  services  that  evening. 

"  Where  is  he  ?"  asked  Miss  Raybold. 

"  He  is  sitting  over  there  looking  out  upon  the 
lake,"  replied  Clyde. 

"  I  will  be  back  almost  immediately,"  said  she 
to  Mr.  Archibald,  "and  in  the  mean  time  please 
let  everybody  assemble." 

Arthur  Raybold  was  in  no  mood  to  attend  ser- 
vices of  any  sort.  He  had  spent  nearly  the  whole 
day  trying  to  get  a  chance  to  speak  to  Margery, 
but  never  could  he  find  her  alone. 

"  If  I  can  once  put  the  matter  plainly  to  her," 
he  said  to  himself,  "she  will  quickly  perceive 
what  it  is  that  I  offer  her ;  and  when  she  clearly 
sees  that,  I  will  undertake  to  make  her  accept  it. 
She  is  only  a  woman,  and  can  no  more  withstand 
me  than  a  mound  of  sand  built  by  a  baby's  hand 
could  withstand  the  rolling  wave." 

At  this  moment  Corona  arrived  and  told  him 
that  she  wanted  him  at  the  camp-fire.  He  was 
only  a  man,  and  could  no  more  withstand  her 
than  a  mound  of  sand  built  by  a  baby's  hand 
could  withstand  the  rolling  wave. 

When  everybody  in  the  camp  had  gathered 
around  the  fire,  Corona,  her  eye-glasses  illumined 
by  the  light  of  her  soul,  gazed  around  the  circle 
and  began  to  speak. 

"  My  dear  friends,"  she  said,  "  I  have  been 
thinking  a  great  deal  to-day  upon  a  very  impor- 


THE    HERMITS    ASSOCIATE 

tant  subject,  and  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  we  who  form  this  little  company  have  be- 
fore us  one  of  the  grandest  opportunities  ever 
afforded  a  group  of  human  beings.  We  are  here, 
apart  from  our  ordinary  circumstances  and  avo- 
cations, free  from  all  the  trammels  and  demands 
of  society,  alone  with  nature  and  ourselves.  In 
our  ordinary  lives,  surrounded  by  our  ordinary 
circumstances,  we  cannot  be  truly  ourselves ; 
each  of  us  is  but  part  of  a  whole,  and  very  often 
an  entirely  unharmonious  part.  It  is  very  sel- 
dom that  we  are  able  to  do  the  things  we  wish  to 
do  in  the  manner  and  at  times  and  places  when 
it  would  best  suit  our  natures.  Try  as  we  may 
to  be  true  to  ourselves,  it  is  seldom  possible  ;  we 
are  swept  away  in  a  current  of  conventionality. 
It  may  be  one  kind  of  conventionality  for  some 
of  us  and  another  kind  for  others,  but  we  are 
borne  on  by  it  all  the  same.  Sometimes  a  person 
like  myself  or  Mr.  Archibald  clings  to  some  rock 
or  point  upon  the  bank,  and  for  a  little  while  is 
free  from  the  coercion  of  circumstances,  but  this 
cannot  be  for  long,  and  we  are  soon  swept  with 
the  rest  into  the  ocean  of  conglomerate  common- 
place." 

"That's  when  we  die  !"  remarked  Mrs.  Perken- 
pine,  who  sat  reverently  listening. 

"No,"  said  the  speaker,  "it  happens  while  we 
are  alive.  But  now,"  she  continued,  "we  have  a 
chance,  as  I  said  before,  to  shake  ourselves  free 
from  our  enthralment.  For  a  little  while  each 
one  of  us  may  assert  his  or  her  individuality.  We 
are  a  varied  and  representative  party  ;  we  come 
from  different  walks  of  life  ;  we  are  men,  women, 
155 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

and — "  looking  at  Margery,  she  was  about  to  say 
children,  but  she  changed  her  expression  to 
"young  people."  "I  think  you  will  all  under- 
stand what  I  mean.  When  we  are  at  our  homes 
we  do  things  because  other  people  want  us  to  do 
them,  and  not  because  we  want  to  do  them.  A 
family  sits  down  to  a  meal,  and  some  of  them  like 
what  is  on  the  table,  some  do  not ;  some  of  them 
would  have  preferred  to  eat  an  hour  before,  some 
of  them  would  prefer  to  eat  an  hour  later  ;  but 
they  all  take  their  meals  at  the  same  time  and 
eat  the  same  things  because  it  is  the  custom  to 
do  so. 

"  I  mention  a  meal  simply  as  an  instance,  but 
the  slavery  of  custom  extends  into  every  branch 
of  our  lives.  We  get  up,  we  go  to  bed,  we  read, 
we  work,  we  play,  just  as  other  people  do  these 
things,  and  not  as  we  ourselves  would  do  them  if 
we  planned  our  own  lives.  Now  we  have  a  chance, 
all  of  us,  to  be  ourselves  !  Each  of  us  may  say,  'I 
am  myself,  one  !'  Think  of  that,  my  friends,  each 
one !  Each  of  us  a  unit,  responsible  only  to  his 
or  her  unity,  if  I  may  so  express  it." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  I  am  that  ?"  inquired  Mrs. 
Perkenpine. 

"  Oh  yes,"  replied  Corona. 

u  Is  Phil  Matlack  one  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  female  guide ;  "  if  he  is 
one,  I  don't  mind." 

"  Now  what  I  propose  is  this,"  said  Corona  :  "  I 
understand  that  the  stay  in  this  camp  will  con- 
tinue for  about  a  week  longer,  and  I  earnestly 
urge  upon  you  that  for  this  time  we  shall  each 
156 


THE    HERMITS    ASSOCIATE 

one  of  us  assert  our  individuality.  Let  us  be  what 
we  are,  show  ourselves  what  we  are,  and  let  each 
other  see  what  we  are." 

"  It  would  not  be  safe  nor  pleasant  to  allow  ev- 
erybody to  do  that,"  said  Mr.  Archibald.  He  was 
more  interested  in  Miss  Raybold's  present  dis- 
course than  he  had  been  in  any  other  he  had 
heard  her  deliver. 

"Of  course,"  said  she,  "it  would  not  do  to  pro- 
pose such  a  thing  to  the  criminal  classes  or  to 
people  of  evil  inclinations,  but  I  have  carefully 
considered  the  whole  subject  as  it  relates  to  us, 
and  I  think  we  are  a  party  singularly  well  calcu- 
lated to  become  the  exponent  of  the  distinctive- 
ness  of  our  several  existences." 

"That  gits  me," said  Matlack. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  said  the  speaker,  gazing  kindly 
at  him,  "that  I  do  not  always  express  myself 
plainly  to  the  general  comprehension,  but  what  I 
mean  is  this  :  that  during  the  time  we  stay  here, 
let  each  one  of  us  do  exactly  what  he  or  she  wants 
to  do,  without  considering  other  people  at  all,  ex- 
cept, of  course,  that  we  must  not  do  anything 
which  would  interfere  with  any  of  the  others  do- 
ing what  they  please.  For  instance — and  I  assure 
you  I  have  thought  over  this  matter  in  all  its  de- 
tails— if  any  of  us  were  inclined  to  swear  or  be- 
have disorderly,  which  I  am  sure  could  not  be  the 
case,  he  or  she  would  not  do  so  because  he  or  she 
would  feel  that,  being  responsible  to  himself  or 
herself,  that  responsibility  would  prevent  him  or 
her  from  doing  that  which  would  interfere  with 
the  pleasure  or  comfort  of  his  or  her  associates." 

"  I  think,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  somewhat  se- 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

verely,  "that  our  duty  to  our  fellow-beings  is  far 
more  important  than  our  selfish  consideration  of 
ourselves." 

"  But  reflect,"  cried  Corona,  "  how  much  con- 
sideration we  give  to  our  fellow-beings,  and  how 
little  to  ourselves  as  ourselves,  each  one.  Can  we 
not,  for  the  sake  of  knowing  ourselves  and  honor- 
ing ourselves,  give  ourselves  to  ourselves  for  a 
little  while  ?  The  rest  of  our  lives  may  then  be 
given  to  others  and  the  world." 

"  I  hardly  believe,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "  that 
all  of  us  clearly  understand  your  meaning,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  you  would  like  each  one  of  us 
to  become,  for  a  time,  a  hermit.  I  do  not  know 
of  any  other  class  of  persons  who  so  thoroughly 
assert  their  individuality." 

"You  are  right !"  exclaimed  Corona.  "A  her- 
mit does  it.  A  hermit  is  more  truly  himself  than 
any  other  man.  He  may  dwell  in  a  cave  and  eat 
water-cresses,  he  may  live  on  top  of  a  tall  pillar, 
or  he  may  make  his  habitation  in  a  barrel !  If  a 
hermit  should  so  choose,  he  might  furnish  a  cave 
with  Eastern  rugs  and  bric-a-brac.  If  he  liked 
that  sort  of  thing,  he  would  be  himself.  Yes,  I 
would  have  all  of  us,  in  the  truest  sense  of  the 
word,  hermits,  each  a  hermit ;  but  we  need  not 
dwell  apart.  Some  of  us  would  certainly  wish  to 
assert  our  individuality  by  not  dwelling  apart 
from  others." 

"We  might,  then,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "be- 
come a  company  of  associate  hermits." 

"  Exactly!"  cried  Corona,  stretching  out  her 
hands.  "That  is  the  very  word — associate  her- 
mits. My  dear  friends,  from  to-morrow  morn- 
158 


THE    HERMITS    ASSOCIATE 

ing,  until  we  leave  here,  let  us  be  associate 
hermits.  Let  us  live  for  ourselves,  be  true  to 
ourselves.  After  all,  if  we  think  of  it  seriously, 
ourselves  are  all  that  we  have  in  this  world. 
Everything  else  may  be  taken  from  us,  but  no 
one  can  take  from  me,  myself,  or  from  any  one 
of  you,  yourself." 

The  bishop  now  rose.  He  as  well  as  the  others 
had  listened  attentively  to  everything  that  had 
been  said  ;  even  Arthur  Raybold  had  shown  a 
great  deal  of  interest  in  his  sister's  remarks. 

"You  mean,"  said  the  bishop,  "that  while  we 
stay  here  each  one  of  us  shall  act  exactly  as  we 
think  we  ought  to  act  if  we  were  not  influenced 
by  the  opinions  and  examples  of  others  around 
us,  and  thus  we  shall  have  an  opportunity  to  find 
out  for  ourselves  and  show  others  exactly  what 
we  are." 

"That  is  it,"  said  Corona,  "you  have  stated  it 
very  well." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  bishop,  "  I  move  that  for 
the  time  stated  we  individually  assert  our  indi- 
viduality." 

"  Second  the  motion,"  said  Mr.  Archibald. 

"  All  in  favor  of  this  motion  please  say  '  Aye,'  " 
said  Corona.  "Now  let  everybody  vote,  and  I 
hope  you  will  all  say  '  Aye,'  and  if  any  one  does 
not  understand,  I  will  be  happy  to  explain." 

"  I  want  to  know,"  said  Phil  Matlack,  rising,  "  if 
one  man  asserts  what  you  call  his  individ'ality  in 
such  a  way  that  it  runs  up  agin  another  man's, 
and  that  second  man  ain't  inclined  to  stand  it,  if 
that—" 

"Oh,  I  assure  you,"  interrupted  the  bishop, 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"that  that  will  be  all  right.  I  understand  you 
perfectly,  and  the  individualities  will  all  run 
along  together  without  interfering  with  each 
other,  and  if  one  happens  to  get  in  the  way  of 
another  it  will  be  gently  moved  aside." 

"Gently  !"  said  Matlack,  somewhat  satirically. 
"  Well,  all  right,  it  will  be  moved  aside.  I  am 
satisfied,  if  the  rest  are." 

"  Now  all  in  favor  say  'Aye,'  "  said  Corona. 

They  all  said  "Aye,"  except  Mrs.  Perkenpine, 
who  said  "Me." 


CHAPTER   XIX 

MARGERY'S  BREAKFAST 

VERY  early  the  next  morning  Margery  pushed 
wide  open  the  window  of  her  studio  chamber. 
The  sash  was  a  large  one,  and  opened  outward  on 
hinges.  She  looked  out  upon  the  dewy  foliage, 
she  inhaled  the  fragrance  of  the  moist  morning 
air,  she  listened  to  the  song  of  some  early  birds, 
and  then,  being  dressed  for  the  day,  she  got  on  a 
chair,  stepped  on  the  window-sill,  and  jumped 
out.  She  walked  quietly  round  the  cabin  and 
went  out  towards  the  lake.  She  had  never  seen 
the  woods  so  early  in  the  day.  All  the  space  be- 
tween the  earth  and  the  sky  seemed  filled  with 
an  intoxicating  coolness.  She  took  off  her  hat 
and  carried  it  in  her  hand  ;  the  sun  was  not  yet 
high  enough  to  make  it  necessary  to  put  anything 
between  him  and  her. 

"  This  is  what  I  am,"  said  Margery  to  herself 
as  she  stepped  blithely  on.  "  I  never  knew  before 
what  I  am.  I  am  really  a  dryad  under  difficul- 
ties." 

Presently,  to  her  amazement  and  his  amaze- 
ment, she  saw  Martin.  She  went  towards  him. 

"  Oh,  Martin,"  she  said,  "  are  you  up  so  early  ?" 

He  smiled.  "  This  is  not  early  for  me,"  he  an- 
swered. 

L  161 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  And  Mr.  Matlack,  is  he  up  ?" 

"Oh  yes,  he  is  up,  and  gone  off  to  attend  to 
some  business." 

"  Well,  really  !"  exclaimed  Margery.  "  I  thought 
I  was  the  first  one  out  in  the  world  to-day.  And 
now,  Martin,  don't  you  want  to  do  something  for 
me  ?  I  did  not  think  it  would  happen,  but  I  am 
really  dreadfully  hungry,  and  couldn't  you  give 
me  my  breakfast  now,  by  myself,  before  anybody 
else  ?  I  am  not  particular  what  I  have — anything 
that  is  easy  to  get  ready  will  do — and  I  would  like 
it  down  at  the  very  edge  of  the  lake." 

"  You  shall  have  it !"  exclaimed  Martin,  eagerly. 
"  I  will  get  it  ready  for  you  very  soon,  and  will 
bring  it  to  you.  I  know  you  like  bread  and  but- 
ter and  jam,  and  there  is  some  cold  meat,  and  I 
will  boil  you  an  egg  and  make  some  coffee." 

"That  will  be  lovely,"  said  Margery,  "and  I 
will  go  down  by  the  lake  and  wait.  I  do  believe," 
she  said  to  herself  as  she  hurried  away,  "  that  this 
hermit  business  is  the  only  sensible  thing  that 
ever  came  into  the  head  of  that  classic  statue 
with  the  glass  fronts." 

Very  soon  Martin  appeared  with  a  rug,  which 
he  said  she  would  want  if  she  were  going  to  sit 
on  the  ground  ;  and  then  he  ran  away,  but  soon 
came  back  with  the  breakfast.  Margery  was  sur- 
prised to  see  how  tastefully  it  was  served. 

"  You  could  not  have  done  it  better,"  she  said, 
"  if  you  had  been  a  " — she  was  about  to  say  waiter, 
but  as  she  gazed  at  the  bright,  handsome  face  of 
the  young  man  she  felt  that  it  would  hurt  his  feel- 
ings to  use  such  a  word,  so  she  suddenly  changed 
it  to  woman. 

162 


MARGERY'S    BREAKFAST 

"  If  it  is  done  well,"  he  said,  "  it  is  not  because 
I  am  like  a  woman,  but  because  you  are  one." 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?"  thought  Margery  ; 
but  she  did  not  stop  to  consider.  "  Thank  you 
very  much,"  she  said.  "  Here  is  where  I  am  going 
to  eat,  and  nobody  will  disturb  me." 

"  Do  you  wish  anything  else  ?"  he  asked. 

"No,"  said  she.  "I  have  everything  I  want; 
you  know  I  take  only  one  cup  of  coffee." 

He  did  know  it ;  he  knew  everything  she  took, 
and  as  he  felt  that  there  was  no  excuse  for  him 
to  stay  there  any  longer,  he  slowly  walked  away. 

The  place  Margery  had  chosen  was  a  nice  little 
nook  for  a  nice  little  hermit.  It  was  a  bit  of  low 
beach,  very  narrow,  and  flanked  on  the  shore  side 
by  a  row  of  bushes,  which  soon  turned  and  grew 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  thus  completely  cutting 
off  one  end  of  the  beach.  At  the  other  end  the 
distance  between  the  shrubbery  and  the  water 
was  but  a  few  feet,  so  that  Margery  could  eat  her 
breakfast  without  being  disturbed  by  the  rest  of 
the  world. 

Reclining  on  the  rug  with  the  little  tray  on  the 
ground  before  her,  and  some  green  leaves  and  a 
few  pale  wild  flowers  peeping  over  the  edge  of  it 
to  see  what  she  had  for  breakfast,  Margery  gave 
herself  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  life. 

"  Each,  one,"  she  said  aloud  ;  "  I  am  one,  and 
beautiful  nature  is  another.  Just  two  of  us,  and 
each,  one.  Go  away,  sir,"  she  said  to  a  big  buzz- 
ing creature  with  transparent  wings, "  you  are 
another,  but  you  don't  count." 

Arthur  Raybold  was  perhaps  the  member  of 
the  party  who  was  the  best  satisfied  to  be  himself. 
163 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

He  had  vowed,  as  he  left  the  camp-fire  the  night 
before,  that  his  sister  had  at  last  evolved  an  idea 
which  had  some  value.  Be  himself  ?  He  should 
think  so  !  He  firmly  believed  that  he  was  the 
only  person  in  the  camp  capable  of  truly  acting 
his  own  part  in  life. 

Clyde  had  told  him  that  on  this  morning  he 
was  going  to  move  the  tent  over  to  their  own 
camp,  and  though  he  had  objected  very  forcibly, 
he  found  that  Clyde  was  not  to  be  moved,  and 
that  the  tent  would  be.  In  an  angry  mood  he 
had  been  the  first  one  of  the  Associated  Hermits 
to  assert  his  individuality.  He  made  up  his  mind 
that  he  would  not  leave  the  immediate  atmos- 
phere of  Margery.  He  would  revolve  about  her 
in  his  waking  hours  and  in  his  dreams,  and  in  the 
latter  case  he  would  revolve  in  a  hammock  hung 
between  two  trees  not  far  from  his  sister's  tent ; 
and  as  he  was  not  one  who  delayed  the  execution 
of  his  plans,  he  had  put  up  the  hammock  that 
night,  although  his  tent  was  still  in  Camp  Rob. 
He  had  not  slept  very  well,  because  he  was  not 
used  to  repose  in  a  hammock  ;  and  he  had  risen 
early,  for,  though  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  he  had 
had  found  himself  a  little  chilly. 

Starting  out  for  a  brisk  walk  to  warm  himself, 
he  had  not  gone  far  before  he  thought  he  heard 
something  which  sounded  like  the  clicking  of 
knife  and  fork  and  dish.  He  stopped,  listened,  and 
then  approached  the  source  of  the  sounds,  and 
soon  stood  at  the  open  end  of  Margery's  little 
beach.  For  a  few  moments  she  did  not  know 
he  was  there,  so  engrossed  was  her  mind  with 
the  far-away  shadows  on  the  lake,  and  with 
164 


MARGERYS    BREAKFAST 

the  piece  of  bread  and  jam  she  held  in  her 
hand. 

"  Oh,  happy  Fates  !"  he  exclaimed.  "  How  have 
ye  befriended  me  !  Could  I  have  believed  such 
rare  fortune  was  in  store  for  me  ?" 

At  the  sound  of  his  voice  Margery  turned  her 
head  and  started,  and  in  the  same  instant  she  was 
on  her  feet. 

"Margery,"  he  said,  without  approaching  her, 
but  extending  his  arms  so  that  one  hand  touched 
the  bushes  and  the  other  reached  over  the  water, 
"  I  have  you  a  gentle  prisoner.  I  consider  this 
the  most  fortunate  hour  of  my  whole  existence. 
All  I  ask  of  you  is  to  listen  to  me  for  ten  minutes, 
and  then  I  will  cease  to  stand  guard  at  the  en- 
trance to  your  little  haven,  and  although  you  will 
be  free  to  go  where  you  please,  I  know  you  will 
not  go  away  from  me." 

Margery's  face  was  on  fire.  She  was  so  angry 
she  could  scarcely  speak,  but  she  managed  to 
bring  some  words  to  her  lips  to  express  her  con- 
dition of  mind. 

"  Mr.  Raybold,"  she  cried,  "  if  I  ever  hear  any 
more  of  that  horrid  trash  from  you  I  will  speak 
to  Mr.  Archibald,  and  have  him  drive  you  out  of 
this  camp.  I  haven't  spoken  to  him  before  be- 
cause I  thought  it  would  make  trouble  and  inter- 
fere with  people  who  have  not  done  anything  but 
what  is  perfectly  right,  but  this  is  the  last  time  I 
am  going  to  let  you  off,  and  I  would  like  you  to 
remember  that.  Now  go  away  this  instant,  or 
else  step  aside  and  let  me  pass." 

Raybold  did  not  change  his  position,  but  with 
a  smile  of  indulgent  condescension  he  remarked  : 
165 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  Now,  then,  you  are  angry  ;  but  I  don't  mind 
that,  and  I  am  quite  sure  you  do  not  mean  it. 
You  see,  you  have  never  heard  all  that  I  have  to 
say  to  you.  When  I  have  fully  spoken  to  you, 
then  I  have  no  fear — " 

He  had  not  finished  his  sentence,  when  Mar- 
gery dashed  into  the  water,  utterly  regardless  of 
her  clothes,  and  before  the  astonished  intruder 
could  advance  towards  her  she  had  rushed  past 
him,  and  had  run  up  on  dry  land  a  yard  or  two 
behind  him.  The  water  on  the  shelving  beach 
was  not  more  than  a  foot  deep,  but  her  mad 
bounds  made  a  splashing  and  a  spattering  of 
spray  as  if  a  live  shark  had  been  dropped  into  the 
shallow  water.  In  a  moment  she  had  left  the 
beach  and  was  face  to  face  with  Martin,  pale  with 
fright. 

"  I  thought  you  had  tumbled  in  !"  he  cried. 
"  What  on  earth  is  the  matter  ?" 

She  had  no  breath  to  answer,  but  she  turned 
her  head  towards  the  lake,  and  as  Martin  looked 
that  way  he  saw  Raybold  advancing  from  behind 
the  bushes.  It  required  no  appreciable  time  for 
the  young  guide  to  understand  the  situation. 
His  whole  form  quivered,  his  hands  involuntarily 
clinched,  his  brows  knitted,  and  he  made  one 
quick  step  forward  ;  but  only  one,  for  Margery 
seized  him  by  the  wrist.  Without  knowing  what 
he  was  doing,  he  struggled  to  free  himself  from 
her,  but  she  was  strong  and  held  him  fast. 

"  I  must  go  to  my  tent,"  she  gasped.  "  I  am  all 
wet.  Now  promise  me  that  you  will  not  say  a  thing 
or  do  a  thing  until  I  see  you  again.  Promise  !" 

For  a  moment  he  seemed  undecided,  and  then 
1 66 


MARGERY'S    BREAKFAST 

he  ceased  his  efforts  to  get  away,  and  said,  "  I 
promise." 

Margery  dropped  his  arm  and  hurried  towards 
the  cabin,  hoping  earnestly  that  the  Archibalds 
were  not  yet  up. 

"  This  is  a  gay  and  lively  beginning  for  a  her- 
mit," she  thought,  as  she  made  her  way  around 
the  house,  "and  I  don't  see  how  on  earth  I  am 
ever  going  to  get  through  that  window  again. 
There  is  nothing  to  stand  on.  I  did  not  expect 
to  go  back  until  they  were  all  up." 

But  when  she  reached  the  window  there  was  a 
stout  wooden  stool  placed  below  it. 

"  Martin  did  that,"  she  thought,  "  while  I  was 
at  my  breakfast.  He  knew  I  must  have  come 
through  the  window,  and  might  want  to  go  back 
that  way.  Oh  dear  !"  she  sighed.  "  But  I  am  sure 
I  can't  help  it."  And  so,  mounting  from  the  stool 
to  the  window-sill,  she  entered  her  room. 

Having  given  his  promise,  Martin  turned  his 
back  upon  the  sombre  young  man,  who,  with 
folded  arms  and  clouded  brow,  was  stalking  tow- 
ards the  tents  at  the  other  end  of  the  camp. 

"  If  I  look  at  him,"  said  Martin,  "  it  may  be 
that  I  could  not  keep  my  promise." 

It  was  about  half  an  hour  afterwards,  when 
Martin,  still  excited  and  still  pale,  was  getting 
ready  for  the  general  breakfast,  forgetting  en- 
tirely that  he  was  a  hermit,  and  that  some  of  the 
other  hermits  might  have  peculiar  ideas  about 
their  morning  meal,  that  Phil  Matlack  arrived  on 
the  scene.  Martin  was  very  much  engrossed  in 
his  own  thoughts,  but  he  could  not  repress  an  in- 
quiring interest  in  his  companion. 
167 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  did  you  bounce  him  ?" 

Matlack  made  no  answer,  but  began  to  cut  out 
the  top  of  a  tin  can. 

"  I  say,"  repeated  Martin,  "  did  you  bounce  him, 
or  did  he  go  without  it  ?" 

Without  turning  towards  the  younger  man, 
Matlack  remarked  :  "  I  was  mistaken.  That  ain't 
fat ;  it's  muscle." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,"  exclaimed  Martin, 
in  astonishment,  "  that  he  bounced  you  out  of 
that  camp  !" 

"  I  don't  mean  to  say  nothin',"  was  the  reply, 
"  except  what  I  do  say ;  and  what  I  say  is  that 
that  ain't  fat ;  it's  muscle.  When  I  make  a  mis- 
take I  don't  mind  standin'  up  and  sayin'  so." 

Martin  could  not  understand  the  situation. 
He  knew  Matlack  to  be  a  man  of  great  courage 
and  strength,  and  one  who,  if  he  should  engage 
in  a  personal  conflict,  would  not  give  up  until  he 
had  done  his  very  best.  But  the  guide's  appear- 
ance gave  no  signs  of  any  struggle.  His  clothes 
were  in  their  usual  order,  and  his  countenance 
was  quiet  and  composed. 

"Look  here,"  cried  Martin,  "how  did  you  find 
out  all  that  about  the  bishop  ?" 

Matlack  turned  on  him  with  a  grim  smile. 
"  Didn't  you  tell  me  that  day  you  was  talkin'  to 
me  about  the  boat  that  he  was  a  tough  sort  of  a 
fellow  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  said  the  other. 

"Well,"  said  Matlack,  "how  did  you  find  that 
out  ?" 

Martin  laughed.  "  I  shouldn't  wonder,"  he  said, 
"  if  we  were  about  square.  Well,  if  you  will  tell 
168 


MARGERY'S    BREAKFAST 

me  how  you  found  it  out,  I  will  tell  you  how  I 
did." 

"  Go  ahead,"  said  the  other. 

"  The  long  and  short  of  my  business  with  him," 
said  Martin,  "  was  this  :  I  went  with  him  down  to 
the  lake,  and  there  I  gave  him  a  piece  of  my 
mind  ;  and  when  I  had  finished,  he  turned  on  me 
and  grabbed  me  with  his  two  hands  and  chucked 
me  out  into  the  water,  just  as  if  I  had  been  a  bag 
of  bad  meal  that  he  wanted  to  get  rid  of.  When 
I  got  out  I  was  going  to  fight  him,  but  he  advised 
me  not  to,  and  when  I  took  a  look  at  him  and  re- 
membered the  feel  of  the  swing  he  gave  me,  I  took 
his  advice.  Now  what  did  he  do  to  you  ?" 

"  He  didn't  do  nothin',"  said  Matlack.  "  When 
I  got  to  the  little  tent  he  sleeps  in,  there  he  was 
sittin'  in  front  of  it,  as  smilin'  as  a  basket  of  chips, 
and  he  bade  me  good-mornin'  as  if  I  had  been  a 
tenant  comin'  to  pay  him  his  rent ;  and  then  he 
said  that  before  we  went  on  with  the  business  be- 
tween us,  there  was  some  things  he  would  like  to 
show  me,  and  he  had  'em  all  ready.  So  he  steps 
off  to  a  place  a  little  behind  the  tent,  and  there 
was  three  great  bowlders,  whopping  big  stones, 
which  he  said  he  had  brought  out  of  the  woods. 
I  could  hardly  believe  him,  but  there  they  was. 
'  You  don't  mean,'  says  I,  '  that  you  are  goin'  to 
fight  with  stones  ;  because,  if  you  are,  you  ought 
to  give  me  a  chance  to  get  some,'  and  I  thought 
to  myself  that  I  would  pick  up  rocks  that  could 
be  heaved.  '  Oh  no,'  says  he,  with  one  of  them 
smiles  of  his — 'oh  no  ;  I  just  want  to  open  our 
conference  with  a  little  gymnastic  exhibition.' 
And  so  sayin',  he  rolled  up  his  shirt-sleeves — he 
169 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

hadn't  no  coat  on — and  he  picked  up  one  of  them 
rocks  with  both  hands,  and  then  he  gave  it  a 
swing  with  one  hand,  like  you  swing  a  ten-pin 
ball,  and  he  sent  that  rock  about  thirty  feet. 

"  It  nearly  took  my  breath  away,  for  if  I  had  to 
move  such  a  stone  I'd  want  a  wheelbarrow.  Then 
he  took  another  of  the  rocks  and  hurled  it  right 
on  top  of  the  first  one,  and  it  came  down  so  hard 
that  it  split  itself  in  half.  And  then  he  took  up 
the  third  one,  which  was  the  biggest,  and  threw 
it  nearly  as  far,  but  it  didn't  hit  the  others. 
*  Now,  Mr.  Matlack,'  says  he, '  this  is  the  first  part 
of  my  little  programme.  I  have  only  one  or  two 
more  things,  and  I  don't  want  to  keep  you  long.' 
Then  he  went  and  got  a  hickory  sapling  that  he'd 
cut  down.  It  was  just  the  trunk  part  of  it,  and 
must  have  been  at  least  three  inches  thick.  He 
put  the  middle  of  it  at  the  back  of  his  neck,  and 
then  he  took  hold  of  the  two  ends  with  his  hands 
and  pulled  forward,  and,  by  George  !  he  broke 
that  stick  right  in  half  ! 

"  Then  says  he,  '  Would  you  mind  steppin' 
down  to  the  lake?'  I  didn't  mind,  and  went 
with  him,  and  when  we  got  down  to  the  water 
there  was  their  boat  drawed  up  on  the  shore  and 
pretty  nigh  full  of  water.  '  Mr.  Clyde  brought 
this  boat  back  the  other  day,'  says  he,  'from  a 
place  where  he  left  it  some  distance  down  the 
lake,  and  I  wonder  he  didn't  sink  before  he  got 
here.  We  must  try  and  calk  up  some  of  the 
open  seams ;  but  first  we've  got  to  get  the  water 
out  of  her.'  So  sayin',  he  squatted  down  on  the 
ground  in  front  of  the  boat  and  took  hold  of  it, 
one  hand  on  one  side  of  the  bow  and  one  on  the 
170 


MARGERY'S    BREAKFAST 

other,  and  then  he  gave  a  big  twist,  and  just 
turned  the  boat  clean  over,  water  and  all,  so  that 
it  lay  with  its  bottom  up,  and  the  water  running 
down  into  the  lake  like  a  little  deluge. 

"  *  That  ought  to  have  been  done  long  ago,'  says 
he,  '  and  I'll  come  down  after  a  while  and  calk  it 
before  the  sun  gets  on  it.'  Then  he  walked  back 
to  camp  as  spry  as  a  robin,  and  then  says  he,  *  Mr. 
Matlack,  my  little  exhibition  is  over,  and  so  we'll 
go  ahead  with  the  business  you  proposed.'  I 
looked  around,  and  says  I  :  '  Do  you  find  that 
little  tent  you  sleep  in  comfortable  ?  It  seems  to 
me  as  if  your  feet  must  stick  out  of  it.'  *  They 
do,'  says  he,  '  and  I  sometimes  throw  a  blanket 
over  them  to  keep  them  dry.  But  we  are  goin' 
to  make  different  arrangements  here.  Mr.  Clyde 
and  I  will  bring  down  his  tent  after  breakfast, 
and  if  Mr.  Raybold  doesn't  choose  to  occupy  it, 
Mr.  Clyde  says  I  may  share  it  with  him.  At  any 
rate,  I've  engaged  to  attend  to  the  cookin'  and  to 
things  in  general  in  this  camp  durin'  the  rest  of 
the  time  we  stay  here.' 

"  *  And  so  Mr.  Clyde  is  tired  of  trespassin',  is 
he  ?'  says  I.  '  Yes,  he  is,'  says  he  ;  *  he's  a  high- 
minded  young  fellow,  and  doesn't  fancy  that  sort 
of  thing.  Mr.  Raybold  slept  last  night  in  a  ham- 
mock, and  if  that  suits  him,  he  may  keep  it  up.' 
'  If  I  was  you,'  says  I,  *  if  he  does  come  back  to 
the  camp,  I'd  make  him  sleep  in  that  little  tent. 
It  would  fit  him  better  than  it  does  you.'  '  Oh 
no,'  says  he,  '  I  don't  want  to  make  no  trouble. 
I'm  willin'  to  sleep  anywhere.  I'm  used  to  rough- 
in'  it,  and  I  could  make  myself  comfortable  in  any 
tent  I  ever  saw.'  '  Well,'  says  I,  *  that  was  a  very 
171 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

pretty  exhibition  you  gave  me,  and  I  am  much 
obliged  to  you,  but  I  must  be  goin'  over  to  my 
camp  to  help  get  breakfast.'  *  If  you  see  Mr. 
Clyde,'  says  he,  *  will  you  kindly  tell  him  that  I 
will  come  over  and  help  him  with  his  tent  in 
about  an  hour  ?'  To  which  I  said  I  would,  and  I 
left.  Now  then,  hurry  up.  Them  hermits  will 
want  their  breakfasts." 


CHAPTER    XX 

MARTIN   ASSERTS   HIS   INDIVIDUALITY 

"  GOOD  -  MORNING,"  said  Mr.  Clyde,  as  he  ap- 
proached Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald,  seated  oppo- 
site each  other  at  their  breakfast-table.  "  So  you 
still  eat  together  ?  Don't  ask  me  to  join  you  ;  I 
have  had  my  breakfast." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "  we  did  think  that, 
as  we  were  hermits,  we  ought  to  eat  in  some  sep- 
arate, out-of-the-way  fashion  ;  but  we  could  not 
think  of  any,  and  as  we  were  both  hungry  and 
liked  the  same  things,  we  concluded  to  postpone 
the  assertion  of  our  individualities." 

"  And  Miss  Dearborn  ?"  asked  Clyde. 

"  Oh,  she  had  her  breakfast  long  ago,  so  she  told 
us,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald.  "  I  suppose  she  took 
some  bread  and  jam,  for  I  do  not  know  what  else 
she  could  have  had." 

"As  for  me,"  said  Clyde,  "  I  thought  I  would  do 
something  of  the  sort.  I  like  an  early  breakfast, 
and  so  I  turned  out,  more  than  an  hour  ago  and 
went  to  look  up  Mrs.  Perkenpine  ;  and  I  might  as 
well  say,  sir,  that  I  am  now  looking  for  the  bishop 
to  come  and  help  me  carry  our  tent  back  to  our 
own  camp,  where  he  is  going  to  cook  for  us.  I 
never  wanted  to  be  a  trespasser  on  your  premises, 
and  I  don't  intend  to  be  such  any  longer." 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  That's  the  right  feeling,"  said  Mr.  Archibald ; 
"  although,  in  fact,  it  doesn't  make  any  difference 
to  us  whether  your  party  camps  here  or  not.  At 
first  I  thought  it  would,  but  I  find  it  does  not." 

"  By  which  he  means,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald, 
"  that  if  you  want  to  go  away  he  is  perfectly  will- 
ing to  have  you  stay,  but  if  you  don't  want  to 
go  away  he  doesn't  like  it,  and  would  have  you 
move." 

Clyde  laughed.  "  I  haven't  anything  to  say  for 
the  others,"  he  answered,  "  but  as  long  as  I  have 
a  camp  of  my  own  I  think  I  ought  to  live  there." 

"  But  how  about  Mrs.  Perkenpine  ?"  asked  Mrs. 
Archibald.  "  Did  you  find  her  willing  to  wait  on 
you,  one  at  a  time?" 

"  Not  exactly,"  said  Clyde.  "  I  discovered  her, 
by  her  kitchen  tent,  hard  at  work  eating  her  own 
breakfast.  I  must  have  looked  surprised,  for  she 
lost  no  time  in  telling  me  that  she  was  a  hermit, 
and -was  living  for  one  person  at  a  time — herself 
first  —  and  that  she  was  mighty  glad  to  get  a 
chance  to  have  her  breakfast  before  anybody 
else,  for  she  was  always  hungry  and  hated  wait- 
ing. I  looked  at  the  table,  and  saw  that  she  had 
the  breakfast  ready  for  the  whole  party  ;  so  I 
said,  '  I  am  a  hermit  too,  and  I  am  living  for  my- 
self, and  so  I  am  going  to  sit  down  and  eat.' 
'  Squat,'  said  she,  and  down  I  sat  ;  and  I  had  the 
best  meal  of  her  cooking  that  I  have  yet  tasted. 
I  told  her  so,  and  she  said  she  shouldn't  wonder. 
'  Because,'  said  she,  *  I  cooked  this  breakfast  for 
myself — me,  one — and  as  I  wasn't  thinkin'  what 
other  people  'd  like,  I  got  things  a  little  more 
tasty  than  common,  I  guess.'  " 


ASSERTS    HIS    INDIVIDUALITY 

"  And  what  does  she  expect  Miss  Raybold  and 
her  brother  to  do  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"  When  she  had  finished  she  got  up,"  Clyde  an- 
swered, "  and  went  away,  merely  remarking  that 
the  victuals  were  there,  and  when  the  others  were 
ready  for  them  they  might  come  and  get  them." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "  that  Matlack 
will  not  fancy  that  sort  of  a  hermit  life.  But  as 
for  me,  I  am  greatly  taken  with  the  scheme.  I 
think  I  shall  like  it.  Is  Miss  Raybold  about 
yet?" 

"  I  see  nothing  of  her,"  said  Clyde,  looking 
over  towards  her  tent. 

"  Good,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  rising.  "  Harriet, 
if  you  want  me,  I  shall  be  in  my  cave." 

"  And  where  is  that  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  say  exactly  where  it  will  be,"  he 
answered,  "  but  if  you  will  go  down  to  the  shore 
of  the  lake  and  blow  four  times  on  the  dinner- 
horn  I'll  come  to  you,  cave  and  all.  I  can  easily 
pull  it  over  the  water." 

"  You  forget,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  with  a 
smile,  "that  we  are  associate  hermits." 

"  No,  I  do  not,"  said  her  husband,  "  I  remem- 
ber it,  and  that  is  the  reason  I  am  off  before  Miss 
Raybold  emerges  upon  the  scene." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald  to  Clyde, 
"  exactly  how  I  am  going  to  assert  myself  to-day, 
but  I  shall  do  it  one  way  or  the  other  ;  I  am  not 
going  to  be  left  out  in  the  cold." 

Clyde  smiled,  but  he  had  no  suggestion  to  offer ; 

his  mind  was  filled  with  the  conjecture  as  to  what 

sort  of  a  hermit  life  Margery  was  going  to  lead, 

and  if  she  had  already  begun  it.     But  just  then 

'75 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

the  bishop  came  up,  and  together  they  went  to 
carry  the  tent  back  to  Camp  Roy. 

It  was  at  least  an  hour  afterwards,  and  Mrs. 
Archibald  was  comfortably  seated  in  the  shade 
darning  stockings,  with  an  open  book  in  her  lap. 
Sometimes  she  would  read  a  little  in  the  book, 
and  then  she  would  make  some  long  and  careful 
stitches  in  the  stocking,  and  then  she  would  look 
about  her  as  if  she  greatly  enjoyed  combining  her 
work  and  her  recreation  in  such  a  lovely  place  on 
such  a  lovely  summer  morning.  During  one  of 
these  periods  of  observation  she  perceived  Corona, 
Raybold  approaching. 

"  Good-morning,"  said  the  elder  lady.  "  Is  this, 
your  first  appearance  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Corona,  with  a  gentle  smile.  "  When 
I  woke  this  morning  I  found  myself  to  be  an  in- 
dividual who  liked  to  lie  in  bed  and  gaze  out 
through  an  open  fold  in  my  tent  upon  the  world 
beyond,  and  so  I  lay  and  dozed  and  gazed,  until 
I  felt  like  getting  up,  and  then  I  got  up,  and  you 
cannot  imagine  how  bright  and  happy  I  felt  as  I 
thought  of  what  I  had  been  doing.  For  one 
morning  at  least  I  had  been  true  to  myself,  with- 
out regard  to  other  people  or  what  they  might 
think  about  it.  To-morrow,  if  I  feel  like  it,  I  shall 
rise  at  dawn,  and  go  out  and  look  at  the  stars 
struggling  with  Aurora.  Whatever  my  personal 
instincts  happen  to  be,  I  shall  be  loyal  to  them. 
Now  how  do  you  propose  to  assert  your  individ- 
uality ?" 

"  Unfortunately,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  I  can- 
not do  that  exactly  as  I  would  like  to.  If  we  had 
not  promised  my  daughter  and  her  husband  that 
176 


ASSERTS    HIS    INDIVIDUALITY 

we  would  stay  away  for  a  month,  I  should  go  di- 
rectly home  and  superintend  my  jelly -making 
and  fruit-preserving  ;  but  as  I  cannot  do  that,  I 
have  determined  to  act  out  my  own  self  here.  I 
shall  darn  stockings  and  sew  or  read,  and  try  to 
make  myself  comfortable  and  happy,  just  as  I 
would  if  I  were  sitting  on  my  broad  piazza,  at 
home." 

"  Good  !"  said  Corona.  "  I  think  it  likely  that 
you  will  be  more  true  to  yourself  than  any  of  us. 
Doubtless  you  were  born  to  be  the  head  of  a  do- 
mestic household,  and  if  you  followed  your  own 
inclination  you  would  be  that  if  you  were  adrift 
with  your  family  on  a  raft  in  the  middle  of  the 
ocean.  Now  I  am  going  away  to  see  what  fur- 
ther suggestions  my  nature  has  to  offer  me. 
What  is  Mr.  Archibald  doing  ?" 

Mrs.  Archibald  smiled.  She  knew  what  Co- 
rona's nature  would  suggest  if  she  met  a  man 
who  could  talk,  or  rather,  listen.  "  Oh,  his  nat- 
ure has  prompted  him  to  hie  away  to  the  haunts 
of  game,  and  to  stay  there  until  he  is  half 
starved." 

Miss  Raybold  heaved  a  little  sigh.  "  I  see  very 
few  persons  about  here,"  she  said — "only  the  two 
guides,  in  fact." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  the  bishop  has 
gone  to  help  Mr.  Clyde  with  his  tent." 

Corona  moved  slowly  away,  and  as  she  walked 
her  nature  suggested  that  she  would  better  eat 
something,  so  she  repaired  to  the  scene  of  Mrs. 
Perkenpine's  ordinary  operations.  There  she 
found  that  good  woman  stretched  flat  on  her 
back  on  the  ground,  fast  asleep.  Her  face  and 
M  177 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

body  were  shaded  by  some  overhanging  branch- 
es, but  her  great  feet  were  Illumined  and  gilded 
by  the  blazing  sun.  On  a  camp  table  near  by 
were  the  remains  of  the  breakfast.  It  had  been 
there  for  two  or  three  hours.  Arthur  Raybold 
had  taken  what  he  wanted  and  had  gone,  and  be- 
fore composing  herself  for  her  nap  Mrs.  Perken- 
pine  had  thrown  over  it  a  piece  of  mosquito-net- 
ting. 

Corona  smiled.  "  Their  natures  are  coming 
out  beautifully,"  she  said.  "  It  really  does  me 
good  to  see  how  admirably  the  scheme  is  unfold- 
ing itself."  She  sat  down  and  ate  what  she 
could  find  to  her  taste,  but  it  was  not  much.  "  I 
shall  send  for  some  fruit  and  some  biscuit  and 
some  other  little  things,"  she  thought,/' that  I 
can  keep  in  my  tent  and  eat  when  I  please. 
That  will  suit  me  much  better  than  the  ordinary 
meals."  Then,  without  awakening  Mrs.  Perken- 
pine,  she  strolled  away,  directing  her  steps  tow- 
ards Camp  Roy. 

When  Margery  had  gone  to  her  room,  and  had 
changed  her  wet  clothes,  she  was  thoroughly 
miserable.  For  some  time  she  sat  on  the  side  of 
her  little  cot,  unwilling  to  go  out,  on  account  of  a 
nervous  fear  that  she  might  meet  Mr.  Raybold. 
Of  course,  if  he  should  again  speak  to  her  as  he 
had  done,  she  would  immediately  appeal  to  Mr. 
Archibald,  but  she  did  not  want  to  do  this,  for  she 
had  a  very  strong  desire  not  to  make  any  trouble 
or  divisions  in  the  camp;  so  she  lay  down  to  think 
over  the  matter,  and  in  less  than  two  minutes  she 
was  asleep.  Mrs.  Archibald  had  come  to  call  her 
to  breakfast,  but  upon  being  told  that  she  had 
178 


ASSERTS    HIS    INDIVIDUALITY 

been  up  ever  so  long,  and  had  had  her  breakfast, 
she  left  the  girl  to  her  nap. 

"  I  shall  sleep  here,"  thought  Margery,  "  until 
they  have  all  gone  to  do  whatever  it  is  they  want 
to  do,  and  then  perhaps  I  may  have  a  little 
peace." 

When  she  awoke  it  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock, 
and  she  went  immediately  to  her  little  side  win- 
dow, from  which  she  could  see  the  lake  and  a 
good  deal  of  the  camp-ground.  The  first  thing 
which  met  her  reconnoitring  gaze  was  a  small  boat 
some  distance  out  on  the  lake.  Its  oars  were  re- 
volving slowly,  something  like  a  pair  of  wheels 
with  one  paddle  each,  and  it  was  occupied  by  one 
person.  This  person  was  Arthur  Raybold,  who 
had  found  the  bishop  calking  the  boat,  and  as 
soon  as  this  work  was  finished,  had  moodily  de- 
clared that  he  would  take  a  row  in  her.  He  had 
not  yet  had  a  chance  to  row  a  boat  which  was  in 
a  decent  condition.  He  wanted  to  be  alone  with 
his  aspirations.  He  thought  it  would  be  scarcely 
wise  to  attempt  to  speak  to  Margery  again  that 
morning ;  he  would  give  her  time  for  her  anger 
to  cool.  She  was  only  a  woman,  and  he  knew 
women ! 

"  It's  that  Raybold,"  said  Margery.  "  He  knows 
no  more  about  rowing  than  a  cat,  and  he's  float- 
ing sideways  down  the  lake.  Good  !  Now  I  can 
go  out  and  hope  to  be  let  alone.  I  don't  know 
when  he  will  ever  get  that  boat  back  again. 
Perhaps  never." 

She  was  not  a  wicked  girl,  and  she  did  not  de- 
sire that  the  awkward  rower  might  never  get 
back  ;  but  still  she  did  not  have  that  dread  of  an 
179 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

accident  which  might  have  come  over  her  had 
the  occupant  of  the  boat  been  a  brother  or  any 
one  she  cared  very  much  about.  She  took  a 
novel,  of  which,  during  her  whole  stay  in  camp, 
she  had  read  perhaps  ten  pages,  and  left  the 
cabin,  this  time  by  the  door. 

"  How  does  your  individuality  treat  you  ?" 
asked  Mrs.  Archibald,  as  Margery  approached 
her. 

"  Oh,  horribly,  so  far,"  was  the  answer  ;  "  but  I 
think  it  is  going  to  do  better.  I  shall  find  some 
nice  place  where  I  can  read  and  be  undisturbed. 
I  can  think  of  nothing  pleasanter  such  a  morning 
as  this." 

"  I  am  very  much  mistaken  in  your  nature," 
thought  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  if  that  is  the  sort  of 
thing  that  suits  you." 

"  Martin,"  said  Margery,  not  in  the  least  sur- 
prised that  she  should  meet  the  young  guide 
within  the  next  three  minutes,  "do  you  know  of 
some  really  nice  secluded  spot  where  I  can  sit  and 
read,  and  not  be  bothered?  I  don't  mean  that 
place  where  you  hung  the  hammock.  I  don't 
want  to  go  there  again." 

Martin  was  pale,  and  his  voice  trembled  as  he 
spoke.  "  Miss  Dearborn,"  said  he,  "  I  think  it  is  a 
wicked  and  a  burning  shame  that  you  should  be 
forced  to  look  for  a  hiding-place  where  you  may 
hope  to  rest  undisturbed  if  that  scoundrel  in  the 
boat  out  there  should  happen  to  fancy  to  come 
ashore.  But  you  needn't  do  it.  There  is  no 
necessity  for  it.  Go  where  you  please,  sit  where 
you  please,  and  do  what  you  please,  and  I  will  see 
to  it  that  you  are  not  disturbed." 
1 80 


ASSERTS    HIS    INDIVIDUALITY 

"  Oh,  no,  no  !"  exclaimed  Margery.  "  That 
would  never  do.  I  know  very  well  that  you 
could  keep  him  away  from  me,  and  I  am  quite 
sure  that  you  would  be  glad  to  do  it,  but  there 
mustn't  be  anything  of  that  kind.  He  is  Miss 
Raybold's  brother  and — and  in  a  way  one  of  our 
camping  party,  and  I  don't  want  any  disturbances 
or  quarrels." 

Martin's  breast  heaved,  and  he  breathed  heav- 
ily. "  I  have  no  doubt  you  are  right,"  he  said — 
"  of  course  you  are.  But  I  can  tell  you  this  :  if  I 
see  that  fellow  troubling  you  again  I'll  kill  him, 
or — " 

"Martin!  Martin  !"  exclaimed  Margery.  "What 
do  you  mean?  What  makes  you  talk  in  this 
way  ?" 

"What  makes  me?"  he  exclaimed,  as  if  it  were 
impossible  to  restrain  his  words.  "  My  heart 
makes  me,  my  soul  makes  me.  I — " 

"  Your  heart  ?  Your  soul  ?"  interrupted  Mar- 
gery. "I  don't  understand." 

For  a  moment  he  looked  at  the  astonished  girl 
in  silence,  and  then  he  said  :  "  Miss  Dearborn,  it's 
of  no  use  for  me  to  try  to  hide  what  I  feel.  If  I 
hadn't  got  so  angry  I  might  have  been  able  to 
keep  quiet,  but  I  can't  do  it  now.  If  that  man 
thinks  he  loves  you,  his  love  is  like  a  grain  of 
sand  compared  to  mine." 

"  Yours  ?"  cried  Margery. 

"Yes,"  said  Martin,  his" face  pallid  and  his  eyes 
sparkling,  "  mine.  You  may  think  it  is  an  insult 
for  me  to  talk  this  way,  but  love  is  love,  and  it 
will  spring  up  where  it  pleases  ;  and  besides,  I  am 
not  the  common  sort  of  a  fellow  you  may  think  I 
181 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

am.  After  saying  what  I  have  said,  I  am  bound 
to  say  more.  I  belong  to  a  good  family,  and  am 
college  bred.  I  am  poor,  and  I  love  nature.  I 
am  working  to  make  money  to  travel  and  become 
a  naturalist.  I  prefer  this  sort  of  work  because 
it  takes  me  into  the  heart  of  nature.  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  what  I  am,  I  am  not  ashamed  of  my 
work,  and  my  object  in  life  is  a  nobler  one,  I 
think,  than  the  practice  of  the  law,  or  a  great 
many  other  things  like  it." 

Margery  stood  and  looked  at  him  with  wide- 
open  eyes.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  she  said, "  that 
you  want  to  marry  me  ?  It  would  take  years  and 
years  for  you  to  become  naturalist  enough  to 
support  a  wife." 

"  I  have  made  no  plans,"  he  said,  quickly,  "  I 
have  no  purpose.  I  did  not  intend  to  tell  you 
now  that  I  love  you,  but  since  I  have  said  that,  I 
will  say  also  that  with  you  to  fight  for  there 
could  be  no  doubt  about  my  success.  I  should 
be  bound  to  succeed.  It  would  be  impossible  for 
me  to  fail.  As  for  the  years,  I  would  wait,  no 
matter  how  many  they  should  be." 

He  spoke  with  such  hot  earnestness  that  Mar- 
gery involuntarily  drew  herself  a  little  away  from 
him.  At  this  the  flush  went  out  of  his  face. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Dearborn,"  he  exclaimed,  "  don't 
think  that  I  am  like  that  man  out  there  !  Don't 
think  that  I  will  persecute  you  if  you  don't  wish 
to  hear  me;  that  I  will  follow  you  about  and  make 
your  life  miserable.  If  you  say  to  me  that  you 
do  not  wish  to  see  me  again,  you  will  never  see 
me  again.  Say  what  you  please,  and  you  will 
find  that  I  am  a  gentleman." 
182 


ASSERTS    HIS    INDIVIDUALITY 

She  could  see  that  now.  She  felt  sure  that  if 
she  told  him  she  did  not  wish  ever  to  see  him 
again  he  would  never  appear  before  her.  But 
what  would  he  do  ?  She  was  not  in  the  least 
afraid  of  him,  but  his  fierce  earnestness  fright- 
ened her,  not  for  herself,  but  for  him.  Suddenly 
a  thought  struck  her. 

"  Martin,"  said  she,  "  I  don't  doubt  in  the  least 
that  what  you  have  said  to  me  about  yourself  is 
true.  You  are  as  good  as  other  people,  although 
you  do "  happen  now  to  be  a  guide,  and  perhaps 
after  a  while  you  may  be  very  well  off;  but  for  all 
that  you  are  a  guide,  and  you  are  in  Mr.  Sadler's 
employment,  and  Mr.  Sadler's  rights  and  powers 
are  just  like  gas  escaping  from  a  pipe  :  they  are 
everywhere  from  cellar  to  garret,  so  to  speak,  and 
you  couldn't  escape  them.  It  would  be  a  bad, 
bad  thing  for  you,  Martin,  if  he  were  to  hear  that 
you  make  propositions  of  the  kind  you  have  made 
to  the  ladies  that  he  pays  you  to  take  out  into  the 
woods  to  guide  and  to  protect." 

Martin  was  on  the  point  of  a  violent  expostula- 
tion, but  she  stopped  him. 

"  Now  I  know  what  you  are  going  to  say,"  she 
exclaimed,  "but  it  isn't  of  any  use.  You  are  in 
his  employment,  and  you  are  bound  to  honor  and 
to  respect  him  ;  that  is  the  way  a  guide  can  show 
himself  to  be  a  gentleman." 

"  But  suppose,"  said  Martin,  quickly,  "  that  he, 
knowing  my  family  as  he  does,  should  think  I 
had  done  wisely  in  speaking  to  you." 

A  cloud  came  over  her  brow.  It  annoyed  her 
that  he  should  thus  parry  her  thrust. 

"  Well,  you  can  ask  him,"  she  said,  abruptly  ; 
183 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"and  if  he  doesn't  object,  you  can  go  to  see  my 
mother,  when  she  gets  home,  and  ask  her.  And 
here  comes  Mr.  Matlack.  I  think  he  has  been 
calling  you.  Now  don't  say  another  word,  unless 
it  is  about  fish." 

But  Matlack  did  not  come ;  he  stopped  and 
called,  and  Martin  went  to  him. 

Margery  walked  languidly  towards  the  woods 
and  sat  down  on  the  projecting  root  of  a  large 
tree.  Then  leaning  back  against  the  trunk,  she 
sighed. 

"  It  is  a  perfectly  dreadful  thing  to  be  a  girl," 
she  said  ;  "  but  I  am  glad  I  did  not  speak  to  him 
as  I  did  to  Mr.  Raybold.  I  believe  he  would  have 
jumped  into  the  lake." 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE    INDIVIDUALITY    OF    PETER    SADLER 

"MARTIN,"  said  Matlack,  sharply,  before  the 
young  man  had  reached  him,  u  it  seems  to  me 
that  you  think  that  you  have  been  engaged  here 
as  lady's-maid,  but  there's  other  things  to  do  be- 
sides teaching  young  women  about  trees  and 
fishes.  If  you  think,"  continued  Matlack,  when 
the  two  had  reached  the  woodland  kitchen,  "  that 
your  bein'  a  hermit  is  goin'  to  let  you  throw  all 
the  work  on  me,  you're  mistaken.  There's  a  lot 
of  potatoes  that's  got  to  be  peeled  for  dinner." 

Without  a  word  Martin  sat  down  on  the  ground 
with  a  pan  of  potatoes  in  front  of  him  and  began 
to  work.  Had  he  been  a  proud  crusader  setting 
forth  to  fight  the  Saracens  his  blood  could  not 
have  coursed  with  greater  warmth  and  force,  his 
soul  could  not  have  more  truly  spurned  the  earth 
and  all  the  common  things  upon  it.  What  he 
had  said  to  Margery  had  made  him  feel  ennobled. 
If  Raybold  had  that  instant  appeared  before  him 
with  some  jeering  insult,  Martin  would  have  par- 
doned him  with  lofty  scorn;  and  yet  he  peeled 
potatoes,  and  did  it  well.  But  his  thoughts  were 
not  upon  his  work  ;  they  were  upon  the  future 
which,  if  he  proved  himself  to  be  the  man  he 
thought  himself  to  be,  might  open  before  him. 
185 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

When  he  had  finished  the  potatoes  he  put  the 
pan  upon  a  table  and  stood  near  by,  deep  in 
thought. 

"  Yes,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  I  should  go  now. 
After  what  I  have  said  to  her  I  cannot  stay  here 
and  live  this  life  before  her.  I  would  wait  on  her 
with  bended  knee  at  every  step,  but  with  love 
for  her  in  my  soul  I  cannot  wash  dishes  for  other 
people.  I  have  spoken,  and  now  I  must  act  ;  and 
the  quicker  the  better.  If  all  goes  well  I  may  be 
here  again,  but  I  shall  not  come  back  as  a  guide." 
Then  a  thought  of  Raybold  crossed  his  mind,  but 
he  put  it  aside.  Even  if  he  stayed  here  he  could 
not  protect  her,  for  she  had  shown  that  she  did 
not  wish  him  to  do  it  in  the  only  way  he  could  do 
it,  and  he  felt  sure,  too,  that  any  further  annoy- 
ance would  result  in  an  appeal  to  Mr.  Archibald. 

"Well,"  said  Matlack,  sharply,  "what's  the 
matter  with  you  ?  Don't  you  intend  to  move?" 

"Yes,"  said  Martin,  turning  quickly,  "I  do 
intend  to  move.  I  am  going  to  leave  this  camp 
just  as  soon  as  I  can  pack  my  things." 

"  And  where  in  the  name  of  thunder  are  you 
goin'  to  ?" 

"  I'm  going  to  Sadler's,"  said  Martin. 

"What  for?" 

"  On  my  own  business,"  was  the  reply. 

Matlack  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  suspi- 
ciously. "  Have  you  got  any  complaints  to  make 
of  me  ?"  he  said. 

"  No,"  said  Martin,  promptly,  "  not  one ;  but  I 
have  affairs  on  hand  which  will  take  me  off  im- 
mediately." 

"Before  dinner?"  asked  Matlack. 
1 86 


INDIVIDUALITY    OF    SADLER 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other,  "  before  dinner  ;  now." 

"  Go  ahead  then,"  said  Matlack,  putting  some 
sticks  of  wood  into  the  stove ;  "  and  tell  Sadler 
that  if  he  don't  send  me  somebody  before  supper- 
time  to  help  about  this  camp,  he'll  see  me.  I'll 
be  hanged,"  he  said  to  himself,  as  he  closed  the 
door  of  the  stove,  "  if  this  isn't  hermitism  with  a 
vengeance.  I  wonder  who'll  be  the  next  one  to 
cut  and  run  ;  most  likely  it  will  be  Mrs.  Perken- 
pine." 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  warm  and  dusty,  Martin 
presented  himself  before  Peter  Sadler,  who  was 
smoking  his  pipe  on  the  little  shaded  piazza,  at 
the  back  of  the  house. 

"Oh,  ho!"  said  Peter.  "How  in  the  name  of 
common-sense  did  you  happen  to  turn  up  at  this 
minute?  This  is  about  as  queer  a  thing  as  I've 
known  of  lately.  What  did  you  come  for  ?  Sit 
down." 

"Mr.  Sadler,"  said  Martin,"!  have  come  here 
on  most  important  business." 

"  Lake  dry  ?"  asked  Peter. 

"  It  is  a  matter,"  said  Martin,  "  which  concerns 
myself;  and  if  all  the  lakes  in  the  world  were 
dry,  I  would  not  be  able  to  think  about  them,  so 
full  is  my  soul  of  one  thing." 

"  By  the  Lord  Harry,"  said  Peter,  "  let's  have 
it,  quick !" 

In  a  straightforward  manner,  but  with  an 
ardent  vehemence  which  he  could  not  repress, 
Martin  stated  his  business  with  Peter  Sadler.  He 
told  him  how  he  loved  Margery,  what  he  had  said 
to  her,  and  what  she  had  said  to  him. 

"And  now,"  said  the  young  man,  "I  have 
187 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

come  to  ask  your  permission  to  address  her ;  but 
whether  you  give  it  or  not  I  shall  go  to  her 
mother  and  speak  to  her.  I  know  her  address, 
and  I  intend  to  do  everything  in  an  honorable 
way." 

Peter  Sadler  put  down  his  pipe  and  looked  stead- 
fastly at  the  young  man.  "  I  wish  to  Heaven," 
said  he,  "  that  there  was  a  war  goin'  on !  I'd 
write  a  letter  to  the  commander-in-chief  and  let 
you  take  it  to  him,  and  I'd  tell  him  you  was  the 
bravest  man  between  Hudson  Bay  and  Pata- 
gonia. By  George  !  I  can't  understand  it !  I 
can't  understand  how  you  could  have  the  cheek, 
the  unutterable  brass,  to  come  here  and  ask  me — 
me,  Peter  Sadler  —  to  let  you  court  one  of  the 
ladies  in  a  campin'-party  of  mine.  And,  what's 
more,  I  can't  understand  how  I  can  sit  here  and 
hear  you  tell  me  that  tale  without  picking  up  a 
chair  and  knocking  you  down  with  it."  * 

"  Mr.  Sadler,"  said  Martin,  rising,  "  I  have 
spoken  to  you  fairly  and  squarely,  and  if  that's 
all  you've  got  to  say,  I  will  go." 

"  Sit  down  !"  roared  Peter,  bringing  his  hand 
upon  the  table  as  if  he  would  drive  it's  legs 
through  the  floor.  "  Sit  down,  and  listen  to  what 
I  have  to  say  to  you.  It's  the  strangest  thing 
that  ever  happened  to  me  that  I  am  not  more 
angry  with  you  than  I  am;  but  I  can't  under- 
stand it,  and  I  pass  it  by.  Now  that  you  are 
seated  again,  I  will  make  some  remarks  on  my 
side.  Do  you  see  that?"  said  he,  picking  up  a 
letter  on  the  table.  "  Do  you  see  who  it  is  ad- 
dressed to  ?" 

"To  me  !"  exclaimed  Martin,  in  surprise. 
1 88 


INDIVIDUALITY    OP    SADLER 

"  Yes,  it's  to  you,"  said  Peter,  "  and  I  wrote  it, 
and  I  intended  to  send  it  by  Bill  Hammond  this 
afternoon.  That's  the  reason  I  was  surprised 
when  I  saw  you  here.  But  I'm  not  goin'  to  give 
it  to  you  ;  I'd  rather  tell  you  what's  in  it,  now 
you  are  here.  Before  I  knew  you  were  the  abject 
ninnyhammer  that  you  have  just  told  me  you 
are  I  had  a  good  opinion  of  you,  and  thought  that 
you  were  cut  out  to  make  a  first-class  traveller 
and  explorer  —  the  sort  of  a  fellow  who  could 
lead  a  surveying  expedition  through  the  wilder- 
ness, or  work  up  new  countries  and  find  out  what 
they  are  made  of  and  what's  in  them.  Only  yes- 
terday I  heard  of  a  chance  that  ought  to  make 
you  jump,  and  this  morning  I  wrote  to  you  about 
it.  A  friend  of  mine,  who's  roughed  it  with  me 
for  many  a  day,  is  goin'  to  take  an  expedition 
down  into  New  Mexico  in  the  interests  of  a  rail- 
road and  minin'  company.  They  want  to  know 
everything  about  the  country  —  the  game,  fish, 
trees,  and  plants,  as  well  as  the  minerals — and  it 
struck  me  that  if  you  are  not  just  the  kind  of 
man  they  want  you  could  make  yourself  so  in 
a  very  short  time.  They'd  pay  you  well  enough, 
and  you'd  have  a  chance  to  dip  into  natural  his- 
tory, and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  that  you  had  no 
reason  to  expect  for  a  dozen  years  to  come,  if  it 
ever  came.  If  such  a  chance  had  been  offered 
to  me  at  your  age  I  wouldn't  have  changed  lots 
with  a  king.  All  you've  got  to  do  is  to  pack 
up  and  be  off.  The  party  starts  from  New  York 
in  just  three  days ;  I'll  give  you  a  letter  to 
Joe  Hendricks,  and  that  '11  be  all  you  want.  He 
knows  me  well  enough  to  take  you  without  a 
189 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

word.  If  you  haven't  got  money  enough  saved 
to  fit  yourself  out  for  the  trip  I'll  lend  you  some, 
and  you  can  pay  me  back  when  they  pay  you. 
You  can  take  the  train  this  afternoon  and  maybe 
you  can  see  Hendricks  to-night.  So  pack  up 
what  you  want  and  leave  what  you  don't  want, 
and  I'll  take  care  of  it.  I'll  write  to  Hendricks 
now." 

Many  times  did  the  face  of  Martin  flush  and 
pale  as  he  listened.  A  vision  of  Paradise  had 
been  opened  before  him,  but  he  felt  that  he  must 
shut  his  eyes. 

"  Mr.  Sadler,"  he  said,  "  you  are  very  kind.  You 
offer  me  a  great  thing — a  thing  which  two  weeks 
ago  I  should  have  accepted  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,  and  would  have  thanked  you  for  all  the  rest 
of  my  life  ;  but  I  cannot  take  it  now.  With  all 
my  heart  I  love  a  woman  ;  I  have  told  her  so, 
and  I  am  now  going  on  the  path  she  told  me  to 
take.  I  cannot  turn  aside  from  that  for  any  pros- 
pects in  the  world." 

Peter  Sadler's  face  grew  red,  and  then  it  grew 
black,  and  then  it  turned  red  again,  and  finally 
resumed  its  ordinary  brown. 

"Martin  Sanders,"  said  he,  speaking  quietly, 
but  with  one  hand  fastened  upon  the  arm  of  his 
chair  with  a  grasp  which  a  horse  could  not  have 
loosened,  "  if  you  are  cowardly  enough  and  small 
enough  and  paltry  enough  to  go  to  a  girl  who  is 
living  in  peace  and  comfort  and  ask  her  to  marry 
you,  when  you  know  perfectly  well  that  for  years 
to  come  you  could  not  give  her  a  decent  roof  over 
her  head,  and  that  if  her  family  wanted  her  to 
live  like  a  Christian  they  would  have  to  give  her 
190 


INDIVIDUALITY    OF    SADLER 

the  money  to  do  it  with  ;  and  if  you  are  fool 
enough  not  -to  know  that  when  she  sent  you  first 
to  me  and  then  to  her  mother  she  was  tryin'  to 
get  rid  of  you  without  hurtin'  your  feelin's,  why, 
then,  I  want  you  to  get  out  of  my  sight,  and  the 
quicker  the  better.  But  if  you  are  not  so  low 
down  as  that,  go  to  your  room  and  pack  up  your 
bag.  The  coach  will  start  for  the  train  at  three 
o'clock,  and  it  is  now  nearly  half-past  two  ;  that 
will  just  give  me  time  to  write  to  Hendricks. 
Go!" 

Martin  rose.  Whatever  happened  afterwards, 
he  must  go  now.  It  seemed  to  him  as  if  the 
whole  world  had  suddenly  grown  colder  ;  as  if 
he  had  been  floating  in  a  fog  and  had  neared  an 
iceberg.  Could  it  be  possible  that  she  had  spoken, 
as  she  had  spoken,  simply  to  get  rid  of  him  ?  He 
could  not  believe  it.  No  one  with  such  honest 
eyes  could  speak  in  that  way  ;  and  yet  he  did  not 
know  what  to  believe. 

In  any  case,  he  would  go  away  in  the  coach. 
He  had  spoken  to  Sadler,  and  now,  whether  he 
spoke  to  any  one  else  or  not,  the  sooner  he  left 
the  better. 

When  he  came  to  take  the  coach,  Peter  Sadler, 
who  had  rolled  himself  to  the  front  of  the  house, 
handed  him  the  letter  he  had  written. 

"  I  believe  you  are  made  of  the  right  kind  of 
stuff,"  he  said,  "  although  you've  got  a  little 
mouldy  by  bein'  lazy  out  there  in  the  woods, 
but  you're  all  right  now  ;  and  what  you've  got 
to  do  is  to  go  ahead  with  a  will,  and,  take  my 
word  for  it,  you'll  come  out  on  top.  Do  you 
want  any  money  ?  -No  ?  Very  well,  then,  good- 
191 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

bye.  You  needn't  trouble  yourself  to  write  to  me, 
I'll  hear  about  you  from  Hendricks ;  and  I'd 
rather  know  what  he  thinks  about  you  than 
what  you  think  about  yourself." 

"  How  little  you  know,"  thought  Martin,  as  he 
entered  the  coach,  "  what  I  am  or  what  I  think 
about  myself.  As  if  my  purpose  could  be  changed 
by  words  of  yours  !"  And  he  smiled  a  smile 
which  would  have  done  justice  to  Arthur  Ray- 
bold.  The  chill  had  gone  out  of  him  ;  he  was 
warm  again. 

On  the  train  he  read  the  letter  to  Hendricks 
which  Peter  Sadler  had  given  to  him  unsealed. 
It  was  a  long  letter,  and  he  read  it  twice.  Then 
he  sat  and  gazed  out  of  the  window  at  the  flying 
scenery  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  after  which  he 
read  the  letter  again.  Then  he  folded  it  up  and 
put  it  into  his  pocket. 

"  If  she  had  given  me  the  slightest  reason  to 
hope,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  how  easy  it  would  be 
to  tear  this  letter  into  scraps." 

Now  an  idea  came  into  his  mind.  If  he  could 
see  her  mother  quickly,  and  if  she  should  ignore 
his  honorable  intentions  and  refuse  to  give  him 
the  opportunity  to  prove  that  he  was  worthy  of  a 
thought  from  her  and  her  daughter,  then  it  might 
not  be  too  late  to  fall  back  on  Peter  Sadler's  let- 
ter. But  he  shook  his  head  ;  that  would  be  dis- 
honorable and  unworthy  of  him. 

He  shut  his  eyes  ;  he  could  not  bear  to  look  at 
the  brightness  of  the  world  outside  the  window 
of  the  car.  Under  his  closed  lids  there  came  to 
him  visions,  sometimes  of  Margery  and  some- 
times of  the  forests  of  New  Mexieb.  Sometimes 
192 


INDIVIDUALITY    OF    SADLER 

the  visions  were  wavering,  uncertain,  and  tran- 
sitory, and  again  they  were  strong  and  vivid — 
so  plain  to  him  that  he  could  almost  hear  the 
leaves  rustle  as  some  wild  creature  turned  a 
startled  look  upon  him. 

That  night  he  delivered  his  letter  to  Mr.  Hen- 
dricks. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A   TRANQUILLIZING   BREEZE   AND    A   HOT    WIND 

AFTER  Martin  had  left  her,  Margery  sat  on  the 
root  of  the  tree  until  Mr.  Clyde  came  up  and  said 
he  had  been  wondering  what  had  become  of  her. 

"I  have  been  wondering  that,  myself,"  she 
said.  "At  least,  I  have  been  wondering  what 
is  going  to  become  of  me." 

"  Don't  you  intend  to  be  a  hermit  ?"  said  he. 

She  shook  her  head.  "  I  don't  think  it  is  pos- 
sible," she  answered.  "  There  is  no  one  who  is 
better  satisfied  to  be  alone,  and  who  can  make 
herself  happier  all  by  herself,  and  who,  in  all  sorts 
of  ways,  can  get  along  better  without  other  peo- 
ple than  I  can,  and  yet  other  people  are  continu- 
ally interfering  with  me,  and  I  cannot  get  away 
from  them." 

Clyde  smiled.  "  That  is  a  pretty  plain  hint," 
he  said.  "  I  suppose  I  might  as  well  take  it,  and 
go  off  to  some  hermitage  of  my  own." 

"Oh,  nonsense  !"  said  Margery.  "Don't  be  so 
awfully  quick  in  coming  to  conclusions.  I  do  feel 
worried  and  troubled  and  bothered,  and  I  want 
some  one  to  talk  to  ;  not  about  things  which 
worry  me,  of  course,  but  about  common,  ordinary 
things,  that  will  make  me  forget." 

A  slight  shade  came  over  the  face  of  Mr.  Clyde, 
194 


A    BREEZE    AND    A    WIND 

and  he  seated  himself  on  the  ground  near  Mar- 
gery. "  It  is  a  shame,"  said  he,  "  that  you  should 
be  worried.  What  is  it  in  this  peaceable,  beauti- 
ful forest  troubles  you  ?" 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  paradise  without 
snakes  ?"  she  asked.  "  The  very  beauty  of  it 
makes  them  come  here." 

"  I  have  never  yet  known  any  paradise  at  all," 
he  replied.  "  But  can't  you  tell  me  what  it  is 
that  troubles  you  ?" 

Margery  looked  at  him  with  her  clear,  large 
eyes.  "  I'll  tell  you,"  she  said,  "if  you  will  promise 
not  to  do  a  single  thing  without  my  permission." 

"  I  promise  that,"  said  Clyde,  eagerly. 

"  I  am  troubled  by  people  making  love  to  me." 

"  People  !"  exclaimed  Clyde,  with  a  puzzled  air. 

"  Yes,"  said  she.    "  Your  cousin  is  one  of  them." 

"  I  might  have  supposed  that ;  but  who  on 
earth  can  be  the  other  one?" 

"  That  is  Martin,"  said  Margery. 

For  a  moment  Mr.  Clyde  did  not  seem  to  un- 
derstand, and  then  he  exclaimed :  "  You  don't 
mean  the  young  man  who  cuts  wood  and  helps 
Matlack?" 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  she  answered.  "  And  you  need 
not  shut  your  jaw  hard  and  grit  your  teeth  that 
way.  That  is  exactly  what  he  did  when  he  found 
out  about  Mr.  Raybold.  It  is  of  no  use  to  get 
angry,  for  you  can't  do  anything  without  my  per- 
mission ;  and,  besides,  I  tell  you  that  if  I  were 
condemned  by  a  court  to  be  made  love  to,  I  would 
much  rather  have  Martin  make  it  than  Mr.  Ray- 
bold.  Martin  is  a  good  deal  more  than  a  guide  ; 
he  has  a  good  education,  and  would  not  be  here 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

if  it  were  not  for  his  love  of  nature.  He  is  going 
to  make  nature  his  object  in  life,  and  there  is 
something  noble  in  that ;  a  great  deal  better  than 
trying  to  strut  about  on  the  stage." 

"  And  those  two  have  really  been  making  love 
to  you?"  asked  Clyde. 

"  Yes,  really,"  she  answered.  "  You  never  saw 
people  more  in  earnest  in  all  your  life.  As  for 
Mr.  Raybold,  he  was  as  earnest  as  a  cat  after  a 
bird.  He  made  me  furiously  angry.  Martin  was 
different.  He  is  just  as  earnest,  but  he  is  more 
of  a  gentleman  ;  and  when  I  told  him  what  I 
wanted  him  to  do,  he  said  he  would  do  it.  But 
there  is  no  use  in  telling  your  cousin  what  I  want 
him  to  do.  He  is  determined  to  persecute  me 
and  make  me  miserable,  and  there  is  no  way 
of  stopping  it,  except  by  making  a  quarrel  be- 
tween him  and  Uncle  Archibald.  It  is  a  shame  !" 
she  went  on.  "  Who  could  have  thought  that  two 
people  would  have  turned  up  to  disturb  me  in 
this  way." 

"  Margery,"  said  Mr.  Clyde,  and  although  he 
called  her  by  her  Christian  name  she  took  no 
notice  of  it,  "  you  think  you  have  too  many 
lovers :  but  you  are  mistaken.  You  have  not 
enough  ;  you  ought  to  have  three." 

She  looked  at  him  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  quickly,  "  and  I  want  to  be  the 
third." 

"And  so  make  matters  three  times  as  bad  as 
they  were  at  first  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  he.  "  When  you  have  chosen 
one  of  them,  he  could  easily  keep  away  the  two 
others." 

196 


A    BREEZE    AND    A    WIND 

"  Do  you  mean,"  said  Margery,  "  that  if  I  were 
to  agree  to  have  three,  and  then,  if  I  were  to  ask 
you  to  do  it,  you  would  go  away  quietly  with  one 
of  the  others  and  leave  me  in  peace  with  the 
third  one?" 

Mr.  Clyde  half  smiled,  but  instantly  grew  se- 
rious again,  and  a  flush  came  on  his  face.  "  Mar- 
gery," said  he,  "  I  cannot  bear  trifling  any  more 
about  this.  No  matter  what  anybody  has  said  to 
you,  whether  it  is  any  one  in  this  camp  or  any 
one  out  of  it,  there  is  not  a  man  in  this  world 
who — " 

"Oh,  Mr.  Clyde,"  interrupted  Margery,  "you 
must  not  sit  there  and  speak  to  me  in  such  an 
excited  way.  If  any  one  should  see  us  they  would 
think  we  were  quarrelling.  Let  us  go  down  to 
the  lake  ;  the  air  from  the  water  is  cool  and 
soothing." 

Together  they  walked  from  under  the  shade  of 
the  tree,  and  so  wended  their  way  that  it  brought 
them  to  a  mass  of  shrubbery  which  edged  the 
water  a  little  distance  down  the  lake.  On  the 
other  side  of  this  shrubbery  was  a  pretty  bank, 
which  they  had  seen  before. 

"  It  always  tranquillizes  me,"  said  Margery,  as 
they  stood  side  by  side  on  the  bank,  "  to  look  out 
over  the  water.  Doesn't  it  have  that  effect  on 
you  ?" 

"  No  !"  exclaimed  Clyde.  "  It  does  not  tran- 
quillize me  a  bit.  Nothing  could  tranquillize  me 
at  a  moment  like  this.  Margery,  I  want  you  to 
know  that  I  love  you.  I  did  not  intend  to  tell 
you  so  soon,  but  what  you  have  said  makes  it 
necessary.  I  have  loved  you  ever  since  I  met 
197 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

you  at  Peter  Sadler's,  and,  no  matter  what  you 
say  about  it,  I  shall  love  you  to  the  end  of  my 
life." 

"  Even  if  I  should  send  you  away  with  one  of 
the' others?" 

"  Yes  ;  no  matter  what  you  did." 

"  That  would  be  wrong,"  she  said. 

"  It  doesn't  matter.  Right  or  wrong,  I'd  do 
it." 

Margery  gave  him  a  glance  from  which  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  eliminate  all  signs 
of  admiration.  "And  if  I  were  to  arrange  it 
otherwise,"  she  said,  "would  you  undertake  to 
keep  the  others  away  ?" 

There  was  no  answer  to  this  question,  but  in  a 
minute  afterwards  Clyde  exclaimed  :  "  Do  you 
think  any  one  would  dare  to  come  near  you  if 
they  saw  you  now  ?" 

"  Hardly,"  said  Margery,  raising  her  head  from 
his  shoulder  and  looking  up  into  his  sparkling 
eyes.  "  Really,  Harrison,  you  ought  not  to  speak 
in  such  a  loud  voice.  If  Aunt  Harriet  were  to 
hear  you  she  might  dare  to  come." 

Margery  was  late  to  dinner,  although  the  horn 
was  blown  three  times. 

Much  to  the  surprise  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Archibald 
returned  to  camp  about  an  hour  before  dinner. 

"How  is  this?"  she  exclaimed.  "Wasn't  the 
fishing  good  ?" 

"  I  have  had  a  disagreeable  experience,"  he  said, 
"  and  I  will  tell  you  about  it.  I  was  fishing  in  a 
little  cove  some  distance  down  the  lake  and  hav- 
ing good  sport,  when  I  heard  a  thumping,  and 
looking  around  I  saw  Raybold  in  a  boat  rowing 
198 


A    BREEZE    AND    A    WIND 

towards  me.  I  suppose  he  thought  he  was  row- 
ing, but  he  was  really  floating  with  the  current ; 
but  as  he  neared  me  he  suddenly  pulled  his  boat 
towards  me  with  such  recklessness  that  I  was 
afraid  he  would  run  into  me.  I  considered  his 
rowing  into  the  cove  to  be  a  piece  of  bad  man- 
ners, for  of  course  it  would  spoil  my  fishing,  but 
I  had  no  idea  he  actually  intended  to  lay  along- 
side of  me.  This  he  did,  however,  and  so  awk- 
wardly that  his  boat  struck  mine  with  such  force 
that  it  half  tipped  it  over.  Then  he  lay  hold  of 
my  gunwale,  and  said  he  had  something  to  say 
to  me. 

"  I  was  as  angry  as  if  a  man  in  the  street  had 
knocked  my  hat  down  over  my  eyes  and  said  that 
he  did  so  in  order  to  call  my  attention  to  a  sub- 
scription paper.  But  this  indignation  was  noth- 
ing to  what  I  felt  when  the  fellow  began  to 
speak.  I  cannot  repeat  his  words,  but  he  stated 
his  object  at  once,  and  said  that  as  this  was  a 
good  opportunity  to  speak  to  me  alone,  he  wished 
to  ask  me  to  remove  what  he  called  the  utterly 
useless  embargo  which  I  had  placed  upon  him  in 
regard  to  Margery.  He  said  it  was  useless  be- 
cause he  could  not  be  expected  to  give  up  his 
hopes  and  his  plans  simply  because  I  objected  to 
them ;  and  he  went  on  to  say  that  if  I  under- 
stood him  fully,  and  if  Margery  understood  him, 
he  did  not  believe  that  either  of  us  would  object. 
And  then  he  actually  asked  me  to  use  my  influ- 
ence with  her  to  make  her  listen  to  him.  From 
what  he  said,  I  am  sure  he  has  been  speaking  to 
her.  I  did  not  let  him  finish,  but  turned  and 
blazed  at  him  in  words  as  strong  as  would  come 
199 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

to  me.  I  ordered  him  never  to  speak  to  me  again 
or  show  himself  in  my  camp,  and  told  him  that  if 
he  did  either  of  these  things  he  would  do  them  at 
his  peril ;  and  then,  for  fear  he  might  say  some- 
thing which  would  make  me  lose  control  of  my- 
self, I  jerked  up  my  anchor  and  rowed  away  from 
him.  I  didn't  feel  like  fishing  any  more,  and  so 
I  came  back." 

"  His  behavior  is  shameful,"  said  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald. "And  what  is  more,  it  is  ridiculous,  for 
Margery  would  not  look  at  him.  What  sort  of  a 
man  does  he  think  you  are,  to  suppose  that  you 
would  give  your  permission  to  any  one,  no  matter 
who  he  might  be,  to  offer  marriage  to  a  young 
lady  in  your  charge?  But  what  are  you  going  to 
do  about  it?  I  think  it  very  likely  he  will  come 
to  this  camp,  and  he  may  speak  to  you." 

"In  that  case  I  shall  have  him  driven  out," 
said  Mr.  Archibald,  "as  if  he  were  a  drunken 
vagabond.  Personally  I  shall  have  nothing  to  do 
with  him,  but  I  shall  order  my  guides  to  eject 
him." 

"  I  hope  that  may  not  be  necessary,"  said  his 
wife.  "It  would  make  bad  feeling,  and  deeply 
wound  his  sister,  for  it  would  be  the  same  thing 
as  putting  her  out.  She  talks  too  much,  to  be 
sure,  but  she  is  a  lady,  and  has  treated  us  all 
very  courteously.  I  wish  we  could  get  through 
the  rest  of  our  stay  here  without  any  disturbance 
or  bad  feeling." 

"  I  wish  so  too,  with  all  my  heart,"  said  her 
husband.  "  And  the  only  thing  necessary  to  that 
end  is  that  that  ass  Raybold  shall  keep  out  of 
my  sight." 

200 


A    BREEZE    AND    A    WIND 

It  was  about  two  o'clock  that  afternoon,  and 
Mrs.  Archibald,  under  her  tree,  her  basket  of 
stockings  all  darned  and  her  novel  at  its  culmi- 
nating point  of  interest,  was  the  only  visible  oc- 
cupant of  Camp  Rob,  when  Corona  Raybold 
came  walking  towards  her,  an  obvious  purpose  in 
her  handsome  face,  which  was  somewhat  flushed 
by  exercise. 

"  I  do  not  think,"  she  said,  as  soon  as  she  was 
near  enough  for  Mrs.  Archibald  to  hear  her, 
"  that  the  true  purpose  and  intention  of  our  plan 
is  properly  understood  by  all  of  the  party.  I 
think,  after  some  explanation,  everything  will  go 
well,  but  I  have  been  endeavoring  for  the  last  half- 
hour  to  find  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  and  have  utterly 
failed.  I  am  very  hungry,  but  I  can  discover 
nothing  to  eat.  All  our  stores  appear  to  be  abso- 
lutely raw,  or  in  some  intermediate  state  of  cru- 
dity. I  intend  to  order  some  provisions  in  cans 
or  boxes  which  will  be  at  all  times  available,  but 
I  have  not  done  so  yet,  and  so  I  have  come  over 
to  speak  to  you  about  the  matter.  Did  your 
guides  prepare  your  dinner  as  usual  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald.  "  A  hermit  life 
seems  to  make  no  difference  with  Mr.  Matlack. 
We  become  associates  at  meal-times,  but,  as  you 
see,  we  have  separated  again." 

"  I  must  instil  into  Mrs.  Perkenpine's  mind," 
said  Corona,  "that,  in  order  thoroughly  to  act 
out  her  own  nature,  she  must  cook  and  do  other 
things  of  a  domestic  character.  Of  course  she 
will  do  those  things  in  her  own  way ;  that  is  to 
be  expected  ;  but  she  must  do  them.  It  is  im- 
possible to  imagine  a  woman  of  her  class  whose 

201 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

soul  is  not  set  more  or  less  upon  domestic  affairs. 
I  will  instance  Mr.  Matlack.  His  nature  belongs 
to  the  woods  and  the  out-of-door  world,  and  that 
nature  prompts  him  to  cook  what  he  shoots." 

Mrs.  Archibald  laughed.  "  I  think  his  nature 
is  a  very  good  one,"  she  said,  "  and  I  will  go  with 
you  to  find  him  and  see  if  he  cannot  give  you  a 
luncheon,  if  not  a  dinner." 

"Thank  you  very  much,"  said  Corona;  "but 
indeed  I  do  not  wish  to  trouble  you.  I  will  go  to 
him  myself.  You  are  very  kind,  but  it  is  not  in 
the  least  degree  necessary  for  you  to  accompany 
me.  A  cup  of  tea  and  some  little  trifle  is  all  I 
shall  ask  him  for." 

For  a  moment  Mrs.  Archibald  hesitated,  and 
then  she  said,  "  As  we  are  hermits,  I  suppose  we 
must  not  keep  together  any  more  than  we  can 
help,  and  so  I  will  let  you  go  alone." 

Corona  found  Phil  Matlack  by  his  kitchen  tent, 
busily  engaged  in  rubbing  the  inside  of  a  large 
kettle.  He  was  not  in  a  good  humor.  The  de- 
parture of  Martin  had  thrown  all  the  work  of  his 
camp  upon  him,  and  now  the  appearance  of  a 
person  from  another  camp  requesting  to  be  fed 
aroused  him  to  absolute  anger.  He  did  not  scold, 
for  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  look  at  that 
beautiful  and  imperturbable  face  and  say  hard 
words  to  it.  He  did  not  refuse  the  cup  of  tea 
or  the  bread-and-butter  for  which  he  was  asked, 
and  he  even  added  some  cold  meat ;  but  he  indig- 
nantly made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  stand  no 
more  of  this  nonsense,  and  that  if  necessary  he 
would  go  to  Sadler  and  throw  up  the  job.  He 
had  not  engaged  to  cook  for  three  camps. 

202 


A    BREEZE    AND    A    WIND 

Miss  Raybold  did  not  appear  to  notice  his  state 
of  mind,  and  ate  heartily.  She  thought  it  was 
fortunate  that  he  happened  to  have  the  kettle  on 
the  stove,  and  she  asked  him  how  he  liked  the 
hermit  life — the  living  for  himself  alone. 

"  Haven't  tried  it,"  he  answered,  curtly. 

"  I  understand,"  said  Corona,  "  you  have  had  to 
live  too  much  for  other  people  ;  but  it  is  too  soon 
to  expect  our  plan  to  run  smoothly.  In  a  short 
time,  however,  we  shall  be  better  able  to  know 
our  own  natures  and  show  them  to  others." 

"  Oh,  I  can  do  that,"  said  he  ;  "  and  I  am  goin' 
to,  precious  soon." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  she  answered.  "And 
now  can  you  tell  me  where  Mr.  Archibald  has 
gone  ?  I  did  not  see  him  this  morning,  and  there 
are  some  matters  I  wish  to  speak  to  him  about." 

"  No,  miss,"  said  Matlack,  promptly,  "  I  don't 
know  where  he  is.  He's  a  real  hermit.  He's  off 
by  himself,  most  likely  miles  away." 

Corona  reflected.  "  Mr. — the  bishop?  Have 
you  seen  him  ?  He  may  be  able  to — " 

The  guide  grinned  grimly.  He  had  seen  the 
man  of  muscle — not  fat — conversing  that  morn- 
ing with  Corona,  and  an  hour  afterwards  he  had 
seen  him,  not  in  the  same  place,  but  in  the  same 
companionship,  and  it  gave  him  a  certain  pleas- 
ure to  know  that  the  man  who  could  heave  rocks 
and  break  young  trees  could  not  relieve  himself 
from  the  thralls  of  -the  lady  of  the  flowing 
speech. 

"  The  bishop  ?"  said  he.  "  Don't  you  know 
where  he  went  to  ?" 

"  He  left  me,"  she  answered,  "  because  he  was 
203 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

obliged  to  go  to  prepare  dinner  for  my  brother 
and  Mr.  Clyde  ;  but  he  is  not  in  Camp  Roy  now, 
for  I  went  there  to  look  for  Mrs.  Perkenpine." 

"  Well,"  said  the  wicked  Matlack,  pointing  to 
the  spot  where,  not  long  before,  Margery  had 
found  a  tranquillizing  breeze,  "  I  saw  him  going 
along  with  a  book  a  little  while  ago,  and  I  think 
he  went  down  to  the  shore,  just  beyond  that 
clump  of  bushes  over  there.  He  seems  to  be  a 
man  who  likes  readin',  which  isn't  a  bad  thing  for 
a  hermit." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Miss  Raybold,  rising.  "  I 
do  not  care  for  anything  more.  You  are  very 
kind,  and  I  am  quite  sure  I  shall  not  have  to 
trouble  you  again.  To-morrow  everything  will 
be  running  smoothly." 

Matlack  looked  at  her  as  she  quietly  walked 
away.  "  She's  a  pretty  sort  of  a  hermit,"  he  said 
to  himself.  "  If  she  really  had  to  live  by  herself 
she'd  cut  out  a  wooden  man  and  talk  to  it  all  day. 
It  won't  be  long  before  she  accidentally  stumbles 
over  that  big  fellow  with  his  book." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

MRS.    PERKENPINE   FINDS   OUT    THINGS   ABOUT   HER- 
SELF. 

THE  mind  of  the  guide  was  comforted  and  re- 
lieved that  he  had  got  the  better  of  the  bishop  in 
one  way,  although  he  could  not  do  it  in  another. 
But  he  did  not  relinquish  his  purpose  of  putting 
an  end  to  the  nonsense  which  made  him  do  the 
work  of  other  people,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  set 
his  kitchen  in  order  he  started  out  to  find  Mrs. 
Perkenpine.  A  certain  amount  of  nonsense  from 
the  people  in  camp  might  have  to  be  endured, 
but  nonsense  from  Mrs.  Perkenpine  was  some- 
thing about  which  Peter  Sadler  would  have  a 
word  to  say. 

Matlack  was  a  good  hunter.  He  could  follow 
all  sorts  of  tracks  —  rabbit  tracks,  bird  tracks, 
deer  tracks,  and  the  tracks  of  big  ungainly  shoes 
— and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  he  had  reached  a 
cluster  of  moss-covered  rocks  lying  some  distance 
back  in  the  woods,  and  approached  by  the  bed  of 
a  now  dry  stream.  Sitting  on  one  of  these  rocks, 
her  back  against  a  tree,  her  straw  hat  lying  be- 
side her,  and  her  dishevelled  hair  hangirfg  about 
her  shoulders,  was  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  reading  a 
newspaper.  At  the  sound  of  his  footsteps  she 
looked  up. 

205 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  Well,  I'll  be  bound  !"  she  said.  "  If  I'd  crawl 
into  a  fox-hole  I  expect  you'd  come  and  sniff  in 
after  me." 

Matlack  stood  and  looked  at  her  for  a  moment. 
He  could  not  help  smiling  at  the  uncomfortable 
manner  in  which  she  was  trying  to  make  herself 
comfortable  on  those  rough  rocks. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  Mrs.  Perkenpine,"  he 
said,  "  you'll  get  yourself  into  the  worst  kind  of  a 
hole  if  you  go  off  this  way,  leavin'  everything  at 
sixes  and  sevens  behind  you." 

"  It's  my  nater,"  said  she.  "  I'm  findin'  it  out 
and  gittin'  it  ready  to  show  to  other  people. 
You're  the  fust  one  that's  seed  it.  How  do  you 
like  it  ?" 

"  I  don't  like  it  at  all,"  said  the  guide,  "  and  I 
have  just  come  to  tell  you  that  if  you  don't  go 
back  to  your  tent  and  cook  supper  to-night  and 
attend  to  your  business,  I'll  walk  over  to  Sadler's, 
and  tell  Peter  to  send  some  one  in  your  place. 
I'm  goin'  over  there  anyway,  if  he  don't  send  a 
man  to  take  Martin's  place." 

"  Peter  Sadler  !"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Perkenpine, 
letting  her  tumbled  newspaper  fall  into  her  lap. 
"  He's  a  man  that  knows  his  own  nater,  and  lets 
other  people  see  it.  He  lives  his  own  life,  if  any- 
body does.  He's  individdle  down  to  the  heels, 
and  just  look  at  him  !  He's  the  same  as  a  king. 
I  tell  you,  Phil  Matlack,  that  the  more  I  knows 
myself,  just  me,  the  more  I'm  tickled.  It  seems 
like  scootin'  round  in  the  woods,  findin'  all  sorts 
of  funny  hoppin'  things  and  flowers  that  you 
never  seed  before.  Why,  it  'ain't  been  a  whole 
day  since  I  begun  knowin'  myself,  and  I've  found 
206 


MRS.   PERKENPINE 

out  lots.     I  used  to  think  that  I  liked  to  cook  and 
clean  up,  but  I  don't ;  I  hate  it." 

Matlack  smiled,  and  taking  out  his  pipe,  he 
lighted  it  and  sat  down  on  a  rock. 

"  I  do  believe,"  he  said,  "  that  you  are  the  most 
out  and  out  hermit  of  the  whole  lot ;  but  it  won't 
do,  and  if  you  don't  get  over  your  objections  to 
cookin'  you'll  have  to  walk  out  of  these  woods  to- 
morrow." 

Mrs.  Perkenpine  sat  and  looked  at  her  compan- 
ion a  few  moments  without  giving  any  apparent 
heed  to  his  remarks. 

"  Of  course,"  said  she,  "  it  isn't  only  findin'  out 
what  you  be  yourself,  but  it's  lettin'  other  people 
see  what  you  be.  If  you  didn't  do  that  it  would 
be  like  a  pot  a-b'ilin'  out  in  the  middle  of  a  prai- 
rie, with  nobody  nearer  nor  a  hundred  miles." 

"  It  would  be  the  same  as  if  it  hadn't  b'iled," 
remarked  Matlack. 

"That's  jest  it,"  said  she,  "and  so  I  ain't  sorry 
you  come  along,  Phil,  so's  I  can  tell  you  some 
things  I've  found  out  about  myself.  One  of  them 
is  that  I  like  to  lie  flat  on  my  back  and  look  up 
at  the  leaves  of  the  trees  and  think  about  them." 

"  What  do  you  think  ?"  asked  Matlack. 

"  I  don't  think  nothin',"  said  she.  "  Just  as  soon 
as  I  begin  to  look  at  them  wrigglin'  in  the  wind, 
and  I  am  beginnin'  to  wonder  what  it  is  I  think 
about  them,  I  go  slam  bang  to  sleep,  and  when  I 
wake  up  and  try  to  think  again  what  it  is  I  think, 
off  I  go  again.  But  I  like  it.  If  I  don't  know 
what  it  is  I  think,  I  ought  to  know  that  I  don't 
know  it.  That's  what  I  call  bein'  really  and  truly 
a  hermick." 

207 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"What  else  did  you  find  out?"  inquired  Mat- 
lack. 

"I  found  out,"  she  answered,  with  animation, 
"that  I  admire  to  read  anecdotes.  I  didn't  know 
I  cared  a  pin  for  anecdotes  until  I  took  to  her- 
mickin'.  Now  here's  this  paper  ;  it  came  'round 
the  cheese,  and  it's  got  a  good  many  anecdotes 
scattered  about  in  it.  Let  me  read  one  of  them 
to  you.  It's  about  a  man  who  made  his  will  and 
afterwards  was  a-drivin'  a  horse  along  a  road,  and 
the  horse  got  skeered  and  ran  over  his  executor, 
who  was  takin'  a  walk.  Then  he  sung  out,  *  Oh, 
bless  my  soul !'  says  he.  But  I'll  read  you  the 
rest  if  I  can  find  it." 

"Never  mind  about  the  anecdote,"  said  Mat- 
lack,  who  knew  very  well  that  it  would  take  Mrs. 
Perkenpine  half  an  hour  to  spell  out  twenty  lines 
in  a  newspaper.  "  What  I  want  to  know  is  if  you 
found  out  anything  about  yourself  that's  likely  to 
give  you  a  boost  in  the  direction  of  that  cookin'- 
stove  of  yourn." 

Mrs.  Perkenpine  was  a  woman  whose  remarks 
did  not  depend  upon  the  remarks  of  others. 
"  Phil  Matlack,"  said  she,  gazing  fixedly  at  his 
pipe,  "  if  I  had  a  man  I'd  let  him  smoke  just  as 
much  as  he  pleased  and  just  where  he  pleased. 
He  could  smoke  afore  he  got  up,  and  he  could 
smoke  at  his  meals,  and  he  could  smoke  after  he 
went  to  bed,  and,  if  he  fancied  that  sort  of  thing, 
he  could  smoke  at  family  prayers  ;  it  wouldn't 
make  no  difference  to  me,  and  I  wouldn't  say  a 
word  to  him  agin'  it.  If  that  was  his  individdlety, 
I'd  say  viddle." 

"And  how  about  everything  else?"  asked  Mat- 
208 


MRS.   PERKENPINE 

lack.  "  Would  you  tell  him  to  cook  his  own  vict- 
uals and  mend  his  clothes  accordin'  to  his  own 
nater  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  said  she,  striking  with  her  expansive 
hand  the  newspaper  in  her  lap — "  no,  sir.  I'd  get 
up  early  in  the  mornin',  and  cook  and  wash  and 
bake  and  scour.  I'd  skin  the  things  he  shot,  and 
clean  his  fish,  and  dig  bait  if  he  wanted  it.  I'd 
tramp  into  the  woods  after  him,  and  carry  the 
gun  and  the  victuals  and  fishin'-poles,  and  I'd  set 
traps  and  row  a  boat  and  build  fires,  and  let  him 
go  along  and  work  out  his  own  nater  smokin*  or 
in  any  other  way  he  was  born  to.  That's  the  big- 
gest thing  I've  found  out  about  myself.  I  never 
knowed,  until  I  began,  this  mornin',  explorin'  of 
my  own  nater,  what  a  powerful  hard  thing  it  is, 
when  I'm  thinkin'  of  my  own  individdlety,  to  keep 
somebody  else's  individdlety  from  poppin'  up  in 
front  of  it,  and  so  says  I  to  myself, '  If  I  can  think 
of  both  them  individdleties  at  the  same  time  it 
will  suit  me  fust -rate.'  And  when  you  come 
along  I  thought  I'd  let  you  know  what  sort  of  a 
nater  I've  got,  for  it  ain't  likely  you'd  ever  find  it 
out  for  yourself.  And  now  that  we're  in  that 
business — " 

"  Hello  !"  cried  Matlack,  springing  to  his  feet. 
"  There  is  somebody  callin'  me.  Who's  there  ?" 
he  shouted,  stepping  out  into  the  bed  of  the 
stream. 

A  call  was  now  heard,  and  in  a  few  moments 
the  bishop  appeared  some  distance  below. 

"  Mr.  Matlack,"  he  said,  "  there's  a  man  at  your 
camp  inquiring  for  you.     He  came  from  Sadler's, 
and  I've  been  looking  high  and  low  for  you." 
o  209 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"A  man  from  Sadler's,"  said  Matlack,  turning 
to  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  "  and  I  must  be  off  to  see 
him.  Remember  what  I  told  you  about  the  sup- 
per." And  so  saying,  he  walked  rapidly  away. 

Out  in  the  open  Matlack  found  the  bishop. 
"  Obliged  to  you  for  lookin'  me  up,"  he  said,  "  it's 
a  pity  to  give  you  so  much  trouble." 

"  Oh,  don't  mention  it  !"  exclaimed  the  bishop. 
"You  cannot  understand,  perhaps,  not  knowing 
the  circumstances,  but  I  assure  you  I  never  was 
more  obliged  to  any  one  than  to  that  man  who 
wants  to  see  you  and  couldn't  find  you.  There 
was  no  one  else  to  look  for  you,  and  I  simply  had 
to  go." 

"  You  are  not  goin'  to  walk  back  to  camp  ?"  in- 
quired Matlack. 

"  No,"  replied  the  bishop,  "  now  that  I  am  here, 
I  think  I  will  go  up  the  lake  and  try  to  find  a  very 
secluded  spot  in  the  shade  and  take  a  nap." 

The  guide  smiled  as  he  walked  away.  "  Don't 
understand!"  said  he.  "You've  got  the  boot  on 
the  wrong  leg." 

Arrived  at  his  tent,  Matlack  found  Bill  Ham- 
mond, a  young  man  in  Sadler's  service,  who  in- 
formed him  that  that  burly  individual  had  sent 
Martin  away  in  the  stage-coach,  and  had  ordered 
him  to  come  and  take  his  place. 

"  All  right,"  said  Matlack.  "  I  guess  you're  as 
good  as  he  was,  and  so  you  can  settle  down  to 
work.  By-the-way,  do  you  know  that  we  are  all 
hermits  here  ?" 

"  Hermits  ?"  said  the  other.     "  What's  that  ?" 

"  Why,  hermits,"  said  Matlack,  "  is  individ'als 
who  get  up  early  in  the  mornin'  and  attend  to 

210 


MRS.   PERKENPINE 

their  own  business  just  as  hard  as  they  can,  with- 
out lookin'  to  the  right  or  left,  until  it's  time  to 
go  to  bed." 

The  young  man  looked  at  him  in  some  sur- 
prise. "There's  nothing  so  very  uncommon  in 
that,"  said  he. 

"No,"  replied  the  guide, "  perhaps  there  ain't. 
But  as  you  might  hear  them  talkin'  about  hermits 
here,  I  thought  I'd  tell  you  just  what  sort  of 
things  they  are." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
A    DISSOLVING    AUDIENCE 

WHEN  a  strange  young  man  assisted  Matlack 
at  the  supper-table  that  evening,  Mr.  Archibald 
asked  what  had  become  of  Martin. 

"Peter  Sadler  has  sent  him  away,"  answered 
the  guide.  "  I  don't  know  where  he  sent  him  or 
what  he  sent  him  for.  But  he's  a  young  man 
who's  above  this  sort  of  business,  and  so  I  sup- 
pose he's  gone  off  to  take  up  something  that's 
more  elevated." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  for  I  liked 
him." 

Mr.  Archibald  smiled.  "This  business  of  in- 
sisting upon  our  own  individualities,"  he  said, 
"  seems  to  have  worked  very  promptly  in  his 
case.  I  suppose  he  found  out  he  was  fitted  for 
something  better  than  a  guide,  and  immediately 
went  off  to  get  that  better  thing." 

"  That's  about  the  size  of  it,"  said  Matlack. 

Margery  said  nothing.  Her  heart  sank.  She 
could  not  help  feeling  that  what  she  had  said  to 
the  young  man  had  been  the  cause  of  his  sudden 
departure.  Could  he  have  done  such  a  thing,  she 
thought,  as  really  to  go  and  ask  Mr.  Sadler,  and, 
having  found  he  did  not  mind,  could  he  have  gone 
to  see  her  mother  ?  Her  appetite  for  her  supper 
212 


A    DISSOLVING    AUDIENCE 

departed,  and  she  soon  rose  and  strolled  away, 
and  as  she  strolled  the  thought  came  again  to 
her  that  it  was  a  truly  dreadful  thing  to  be  a 
girl. 

Having  received  no  orders  to  the  contrary, 
Matlack,  with  his  new  assistant,  built  and  lighted 
the  camp-fire.  Some  of  the  hermits  took  this  as 
a  matter  of  course,  and  some  were  a  little  sur- 
prised, but  one  by  one  they  approached ;  the 
evening  air  was  beginning  to  be  cool,  and  the 
vicinity  of  the  fire  was  undoubtedly  the  pleasant- 
est  place  in  camp.  Soon  they  were  all  assembled 
but  one,  and  Mrs.  Archibald  breathed  freer  when 
she  found  that  Arthur  Raybold  was  not  there. 

"I  am  delighted,"  said  Corona,  as  soon  as  she 
took  her  usual  seat,  which  was  a  camp-chair,  "  to 
s-ee  you  all  gather  about  the  fire.  I  was  afraid 
that  some  of  you  might  think  that  because  we 
are  hermits  we  must  keep  away  from  each  other 
all  the  time.  But  we  must  remember  that  we  are 
associate  hermits,  and  so  should  come  together 
occasionally.  I  was  going  to  say  something  to 
the  effect  that  some  of  us  may  have  misunder- 
stood the  true  manner  and  intent  of  the  asser- 
tions of  our  individualities,  but  I  do  not  now  be- 
lieve that  this  is  necessary." 

"  Do  you  mean  by  all  that,"  said  Mrs.  Perken- 
pine,  "  that  I  cooked  the  supper  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Raybold,  turning  upon  her 
guide  with  a  pleasant  smile,  "  that  is  what  I  re- 
ferred to." 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  "  I  was  told  that 
if  I  didn't  cook  I'd  be  bounced.  It  isn't  my  indi- 
viddlety  to  cook  for  outsiders,  but  it  isn't  my 
213 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

individdlety  to  be  bounced,  nuther,  so  I  cooked. 
Is  that  bein'  a  hermick  ?" 

"  You  have  it,"  cried  Mr.  Archibald,  "  you've 
not  only  found  out  what  you  are,  but  what  you 
have  to  be.  Your  knowledge  of  yourself  is  per- 
fect. And  now,"  he  continued,  "  isn't  there  some- 
body who  can  tell  us  a  story  ?  When  we  are  sit- 
ting around  a  camp-fire,  there  is  nothing  better 
than  stories.  Bishop,  I  dare  say  you  have  heard 
a  good  many  in  the  course  of  your  life.  Don't 
you  feel  like  giving  us  one  ?" 

"I  think,"  said  Corona,  "that  by  the  aid  of 
stories  it  is  possible  to  get  a  very  good  idea  of 
ourselves.  For  instance,  if  some  one  were  to  tell 
a  good  historical  story,  and  any  one  of  us  should 
find  himself  or  herself  greatly  interested  in  it, 
then  that  person  might  discover,  on  subsequent 
reflection,  some  phase  of  his  or  her  intellect 
which  he  or  she  might  not  have  before  noticed. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  it  should  be  a  love  story, 
and  some  of  us  could  not  bear  to  hear  it,  then 
we  might  also  find  out  something  about  our- 
selves of  which  we  had  been  ignorant.  But  I 
really  think  that,  before  making  any  tests  of  this 
sort,  we  should  continue  the  discussion  of  what 
is  at  present  the  main  object  of  our  lives — self- 
knowledge  and  self-assertion.  In  other  words, 
the  emancipation  of  the  individual.  As  I  have 
said  before,  and  as  we  all  know,  there  never  was 
a  better  opportunity  offered  a  group  of  people  of 
mature  minds  to  subject  themselves,  free  of  out- 
side influences,  to  a  thorough  mental  inquisition, 
and  then  to  exhibit  the  results  of  their  self-exam- 
inations to  appreciative  companions.  This  last 
214 


A    DISSOLVING    AUDIENCE 

is  very  important.  If  we  do  not  announce  to 
others  what  we  are,  it  is  of  scarcely  any  use  to  be 
anything.  I  mean  this,  of  course,  in  a  limited 
sense." 

"  Harriet,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  abruptly,  "do 
you  remember  where  I  left  my  pipe?  I  do  not 
like  this  cigar." 

"  On  the  shelf  by  the  door  of  the  cabin,"  she 
replied.  "  I  saw  it  as  I  came  out." 

Her  husband  immediately  rose  and  left  the  fire. 
Corona  paused  in  her  discourse  to  wait  until  Mr. 
Archibald  came  back  ;  but  then,  as  if  she  did  not 
wish  to  lose  the  floor,  she  turned  towards  the 
bishop,  who  sat  at  a  little  distance  from  her,  and 
addressed  herself  to  him,  with  the  idea  of  making 
some  collateral  remarks  on  what  she  had  already 
said,  in  order  to  fill  up  the  time  until  Mr.  Archi- 
bald should  return. 

Mrs.  Archibald  thought  that  her  husband  had 
been  a  little  uncivil ;  but  almost  immediately 
after  he  had  gone,  she,  too,  jumped  up,  and,  with- 
out making  any  excuse  whatever,  hurried  after 
him 

The  reason  for  this  sudden  movement  was  that 
Mrs.  Archibald  had  seen  some  one  approaching 
from  the  direction  of  Camp  Roy.  She  instantly 
recognized  this  person  as  Arthur  Raybold,  and 
felt  sure  that,  unwilling  to  stay  longer  by  him- 
self, he  was  coming  to  the  camp-fire,  and  if  her 
husband  should  see  him,  she  knew  there  would  be 
trouble.  What  sort  of  trouble  or  how  far  it  might 
extend  she  did  not  try  to  imagine. 

"  Hector,"  she  said,  as  soon  as  she  was  near 
enough  for  him  to  hear  her,  "don't  go  after  the 
215 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

pipe ;  let  us  take  a  moonlight  walk  along  the 
shore.  I  believe  it  is  full  moon  to-night,  and  we 
have  not  had  a  walk  of  that  sort  for  ever  so  long.'' 

"Very  good,"  said  her  husband,  turning  to  her. 
"  I  shall  be  delighted.  I  don't  care  for  the  pipe, 
and  the  cigar  would  have  been  good  enough  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  sermon.  That  would  spoil 
any  pleasure.  I  can't  stand  that  young  woman, 
Harriet ;  I  positively  cannot." 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  walk  away  and  forget  her," 
said  his  wife.  "  I  don't  wonder  she  annoys  you." 

"  If  it  were  only  the  young  woman,"  thought 
Mrs.  Archibald,  as  the  two  strolled  away  beneath 
the  light  of  the  moon,  "  we  might  manage  it. 
But  her  brother  !" 

At  the  next  indication  of  a  pause  in  Corona's 
discourse  the  bishop  suddenly  stood  on  his  feet.  "  I 
wonder,"  he  said,  "  if  there  is  anything  the  mat- 
ter with  Mrs.  Archibald  ?  I  will  step  over  to  her 
cabin  to  see." 

"  Indeed !"  said  Corona,  rising  with  great 
promptness,  "  I  hope  it  is  nothing  serious.  I 
will  go  with  you." 

Margery  was  not  a  rude  girl,  but  she  could  not 
help  a  little  laugh,  which  she  subdued  as  much 
as  possible  ;  Mr.  Clyde,  who  was  sitting  near  her, 
laughed  also. 

"  There  is  nothing  on  earth  the  matter  with 
Aunt  Harriet,"  said  Margery.  "  They  didn't  go 
into  the  cabin  ;  I  saw  them  walking  away  down 
the  shore." 

"  How  would  you  like  to  walk  that  way  ?"  he 
asked.  "  I  think  their  example  is  a  very  good 
one." 

216 


A    DISSOLVING    AUDIENCE 

"  It  is  capital,"  said  Margery,  jumping  up, 
"  and  let's  get  away  quickly  before  she  comes 
back." 

They  hurried  away,  but  they  did  not  extend 
their  walk  down  the  lake  shore  even  as  far  as 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald  had  already  gone.  When 
they  came  to  the  bit  of  beach  behind  the  clump 
of  trees  where  the  bishop  had  retired  that  after- 
noon to  read,  they  stopped  and  sat  down  to  watch 
the  moonlight  on  the  water. 

Matlack  and  Mrs.  Perkenpine  were  now  the 
only  persons  at  the  camp-fire,  for  Bill  Hammond, 
as  was  his  custom,  had  promptly  gone  to  bed  as 
soon  as  his  work  was  done.  If  Arthur  Raybold 
had  intended  to  come  to  the  camp-fire,  he  had 
changed  his  mind,  for  he  now  stood  near  his 
sister's  tent,  apparently  awaiting  the  approach 
of  Corona  and  the  bishop,  who  had  not  found 
the  Archibalds,  and  who  were  now  walking  to- 
gether in  what  might  have  been  supposed,  by 
people  who  did  not  know  the  lady,  to  be  an 
earnest  dialogue. 

Mr.  Matlack  was  seated  on  his  log,  and  he 
smoked,  while  Mrs.  Perkenpine  sat  on  the  ground, 
her  head  thrown  back  and  her  arms  hugging  her 
knees. 

"  Phil,"  said  she,  "  that  there  moon  looks  to  me 
like  an  oyster  with  a  candle  behind  it,  and  as 
smooth  and  slippery  as  if  I  could  jest  swallow  it 
down.  You  may  tjiink  it  is  queer  for  me  to  think 
such  things  as  that,  Phil,  but  since  I've  come  to 
know  myself  jest  as  I  am,  me,  I've  found  out 
feelin's— " 

"  Mrs.  Perkenpine,"  said  Matlack,  knocking  the 
217 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

ashes  out  of  his  pipe,  "there's  a  good  many  things 
besides  moons  that  I  can't  swallow,  and  if  it's  all 
the  same  to  you,  I'll  go  to  bed." 

"  Well,"  she  exclaimed,  looking  after  him,  "  his 
individdlety  is  the  snapshortest  I  ever  did  see  ! 
I  don't  believe  he  wants  to  know  hisself.  If  he 
did,  I'm  dead  sure  I  could  help  him.  He  never 
goes  out  to  run  a  camp  without  somebody  to  help 
him,  and  yet  he's  so  everlastin'  blind  he  can't  see 
the  very  best  person  there  is  to  help  him,  and  she 
a-plumpin'  herself  square  in  front  of  him  every 
time  she  gits  a  chance."  With  that  reflection 
she  rose  and  walked  away. 

"  I  tell  you,  Harriet,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  when 
he  and  his  wife  had  returned  from  their  walk  and 
were  about  to  enter  the  cabin,  "  something  must 
be  done  to  enable  us  to  spend  the  rest  of  our 
time  here  in  peace.  This  is  our  camp,  and  we 
want  it  for  ourselves.  If  a  good  companionable 
fellow  like  the  bishop  or  that  young  Clyde  hap- 
pens along,  it  is  all  very  well,  but  we  do  not  want 
all  sorts  of  people  forcing  themselves  upon  us, 
and  I  will  not  submit  to  it." 

"Of  course  we  ought  not  to  do  that,"  said  she, 
"  but  I  hope  that  whatever  you  do,  it  will  be 
something  as  pleasant  as  possible." 

"  I  will  try  to  avoid  any  unpleasantness,"  said 
he,  "  and  I  hope  I  may  do  so,  but —  By-the-way, 
where  is  Margery  ?" 

"  I  think  she  must  be  in  bed,"  said  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald ;  then  stepping  inside,  she  called,  "  Margery, 
are  you  there  ?" 

"  Yes,  Aunt  Harriet,"  replied  Margery,  "  I  am 
here." 

218 


A    DISSOLVING    AUDIENCE 

"  She  must  have  found  it  dreadfully  stupid, 
poor  girl !"  said  Mr.  Archibald. 

The  lights  were  all  out  in  the  Archibalds' 
cabin,  and  still  Miss  Raybold  and  the  bishop 
walked  up  and  down  the  open  space  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  camp. 

"  Corona  !"  exclaimed  her  brother,  suddenly  ap- 
pearing before  them,  "  I  have  told  you  over  and 
over  again  that  I  wish  to  speak  to  you.  Are  you 
never  going  to  stop  that  everlasting  preaching 
and  give  me  a  chance  to  talk  to  you  ?" 

"  Arthur  !"  she  exclaimed,  sharply,  "I  wish  you 
would  not  interrupt  me  in  this  way.  I  had  just 
begun  to  say — " 

"  Oh,  my  dear  Miss  Raybold,"  cried  the  bishop, 
"do  not  let  me  prevent  you  from  speaking  to 
your  brother.  Indeed,  it  is  growing  late,  and  I 
will  not  trespass  longer  on  your  time.  Good- 
night," and  with  a  bow  he  was  gone. 

"  Now  just  see  what  you  have  done  !"  said  Co- 
rona, her  eye-glasses  brighter  than  the  moon. 

"  Well,  it  is  time  he  was  going,"  said  her  broth- 
er. "  I  have  something  very  important  to  say  to 
you.  I  want  your  good  offices  in  an  affair  more 
worthy  of  your  thoughts  than  anything  else  at 
this  moment." 

"  Whatever  it  is,"  she  said,  turning  away  from 
him,  "  I  do  not  want  to  hear  it  now — not  a  word 
of  it.  You  have  displeased  me,  Arthur,  and  I  am 
going  to  my  tent." 


CHAPTER  XXV 
A   MOONLIGHT   INTERVIEW 

MRS.  ARCHIBALD  retired  to  her  cabin,  but  she 
did  not  feel  in  the  least  like  going-  to  bed.  Her 
husband  had  long  been  asleep  in  his  cot,  and  she 
still  sat  by  the  side  of  the  little  window  looking 
out  upon  the  moon-lighted  scene  ;  but  the  beauty 
of  the  night,  if  she  noticed  it  at  all,  gave  her  no 
pleasure.  Her  mind  was  harassed  and  troubled 
by  many  things,  chief  among  which  was  her  hus- 
band's unfinished  sentence  in  which  he  had  said 
that  he  would  try  to  avoid  any  unpleasantness, 
but  at  the  same  time  had  intimated  that  if  the 
unpleasant  thing  were  forced  upon  him  he  was 
ready  to  meet  it. 

Now,  reason  as  she  would,  Mrs.  Archibald  could 
not  banish  from  her  mind  the  belief  that  Arthur 
Raybold  would  come  to  their  camp  some  time 
during  the  next  day.  In  tact,  not  having  heard 
otherwise,  she  supposed  he  had  come  to  the  camp- 
fire  that  night.  She  was  filled  with  anger  and 
contempt  for  the  young  man  who  was  determined 
to  force  himself  on  their  party  in  this  outrageous 
manner,  and  considered  it  shameful  that  their 
peaceful  life  in  these  woods  had  been  so  wickedly 
disturbed.  No  wonder  she  did  not  want  to  sleep  •, 
no  wonder  she  sat  at  the  window  thinking  and 
thinking. 

220 


A    MOONLIGHT    INTERVIEW 

Presently  she  saw  some  one  walking  over  the 
open  space  towards  the  cabin,  and  she  could  not 
fail  to  recognize  the  figure  with  the  long  stride, 
the  folded  arms,  and  the  bowed  head.  He  passed 
the  window  and  then  he  turned  and  repassed  it, 
then  he  turned  and  walked  by  again,  this  time  a 
little  nearer  than  before. 

"This  is  too  much!"  said  Mrs.  Archibald. 
"  The  next  thing  he  will  be  tapping  at  her  win- 
dow. I  will  go  out  and  speak  my  mind  to  him." 

Opening  the  door  very  softly,  and  without  even 
stopping  to  throw  a  shawl  over  her  head  and 
shoulders,  Mrs.  Archibald  stepped  outside  into 
the  night.  Raybold  was  now  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  cabin,  in  the  direction  of  Camp  Roy, 
and  was  just  about  to  turn  when  she  hurried  up 
to  him. 

"Mr.  Raybold,"  she  said,  speaking  low  and 
rapidly,  "if  you  possessed  a  spark  of  gentlemanly 
feeling  you  would  be  ashamed  to  come  into  this 
camp  when  you  have  been  ordered  out  of  it.  My 
husband  has  told  you  he  does  not  want  you  here, 
and  now  I  tell  you  that  I  do  not  want  you  here. 
It  pains  me  to  be  obliged  to  speak  to  any  one  in 
this  manner,  but  it  is  plain  that  no  other  sort  of 
speech  will  affect  you.  Now,  sir,  I  know  your 
object,  and  I  will  not  have  you  wandering  up  and 
down  here  in  front  of  our  cabin.  I  wish  you  to 
go  to  your  own  camp,  and  that  immediately." 

Raybold  stood  and  listened  to  her  without  a 
word  until  she  had  finished,  and  then  he  said  : 

"  Madam,  there  has  been  a  good  deal  of  talk 
about  knowing  ourselves  and  showing  ourselves 
to  others.  Now  I  know  myself  very  well  indeed, 

221 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

and  I  will  show  myself  to  you  by  saying  that 
when  my  heart  is  interested  I  obey  no  orders,  I 
pay  no  attention  to  mandates  of  any  sort.  Until 
I  can  say  what  I  have  to  say  I  will  watch  and  I 
will  wait,  but  I  shall  not  draw  back." 

For  the  first  time  in  fifteen  years  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald lost  her  temper.  She  turned  pale  with  an- 
ger. "  You  contemptible  scoundrel !  Go  !  Leave 
this  camp  instantly  !" 

He  stood  with  arms  folded  and  smiled  at  her, 
saying  nothing.  She  trembled,  she  was  so  angry. 
But  what  could  she  do  ?  If  she  called  Mr.  Archi- 
bald, or  if  he  should  be  awakened  by  any  outcry, 
she  feared  there  would  be  bloodshed,  and  if  she 
went  to  call  Matlack,  Mr.  Archibald  would  be 
sure  to  be  awakened.  But  at  this  moment  some 
one  stepped  up  quickly  behind  Raybold,  and  with 
a  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  partly  turned  him 
around. 

"  I  think,"  said  the  bishop,  "  that  I  heard  this 
lady  tell  you  to  go.  If  so,  go." 

"  I  did  say  it,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  hurriedly. 
"Please  be  as  quiet  as  you  can,  but  make  him 
go." 

"  Do  you  hear  what  Mrs.  Archibald  says  ?" 
asked  the  bishop,  sternly.  "  Depart,  or — " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  threaten  me  ?"  asked  Ray- 
bold. 

The  bishop  stepped  close  to  him.  "Will  you 
go  of  your  own  accord,"  he  asked,  "  or  do  you 
wish  me  to  take  you  away  ?" 

He  spoke  quietly,  but  with  an  earnestness  that 
impressed  itself  upon  Raybold,  who  made  a  quick 
step  backward.  He  felt  a  natural  repugnance, 
222 


A    MOONLIGHT    INTERVIEW 

especially  in  the  presence  of  a  lady,  to  be  taken 
away  by  this  big  man,  who,  in  the  moonlight, 
seemed  to  be  bigger  than  ever. 

"  I  will  speak  10  you,"  said  he,  "  when  there  are 
no  ladies  present."  And  with  this  he  retired. 

"  I  am  so  much  obliged  to  you,"  said  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald. "  It  was  a  wonderful  piece  of  good  fortune 
that  you  should  have  come  at  this  minute." 

The  bishop  smiled.  "  I  am  delighted  that  I 
happened  here,"  he  said.  "  I  heard  so  much  talk- 
ing this  evening  that  I  thought  I  would  tranquil- 
lize my  mind  by  a  quiet  walk  by  myself  before  I 
went  to  bed,  and  so  I  happened  to  see  you  and 
Raybold.  Of  course  I  had  no  idea  of  intruding 
upon  you,  but  when  I  saw  you  stretch  out  your 
arm  and  say  *  Go  !'  I  thought  it  was  time  for  me 
to  come." 

"  I  feel  bound  to  say  to  you,"  said  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald, "that  that  impertinent  fellow  is  persisting 
in  his  attentions  to  Miss  Dearborn,  and  that  Mr. 
Archibald  and  I  will  not  have  it." 

"  I  imagined  that  the  discussion  was  on  that 
subject,"  said  the  bishop,  "  for  Mr.  Clyde  has  in- 
timated to  me  that  Raybold  has  been  making 
himself  disagreeable  to  the  young  lady." 

"  I  do  not  know  what  we  are  going  to  do,"  said 
Mrs.  Archibald,  reflectively  ;  "  there  seems  to  be 
no  way  of  making  an  impression  upon  him.  He 
is  like  his  sister — he  will  have  his  own  way." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  bishop,  with  a  sigh,  "  he  is  like 
his  sister.  But  then,  one  might  thrash  him,  but 
what  can  be  done  with  her?  I  tell  you,  Mrs. 
Archibald,"  he  said,  turning  to  her,  earnestly,  "  it 
is  getting  to  be  unbearable.  The  whole  evening, 
223 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

ever  since  you  left  the  camp-fire,  she  has  been 
talking  to  me  on  the  subject  of  mental  assimila- 
tion—  that  is,  the  treatment  of  our  ideas  and 
thoughts  as  if  they  were  articles  of  food — intel- 
lectual soda  biscuit,  or  plum  pudding,  for  in- 
stance— in  order  to  find  out  whether  our  minds 
can  digest  these  things  and  produce  from  them 
the  mental  chyme  and  chyle  necessary  to  our  in- 
tellectual development.  The  discourse  was  fort- 
unately broken  off  for  to-night,  but  there  is  more 
of  it  for  to-morrow.  I  really  cannot  stand  it." 

"I  wouldn't  stand  it,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald. 
"  Can't  you  simply  go  away  and  leave  her  when 
she  begins  in  that  way  ?" 

The  bishop  shook  his  head.  "  No,"  he  said, 
"  that  is  impossible.  When  those  beautiful  eyes 
are  fixed  upon  me  I  cannot  go  away.  They 
charm  me  and  they  hold  me.  Unless  there  is  an 
interruption,  I  must  stay  and  listen.  The  only 
safety  for  me  is  to  fly  from  this  camp.  At  last," 
he  said,  smiling  a  little  sadly,  "  I  am  going  to  go. 
I  did  not  want  to  do  this  until  your  camp  broke 
up,  but  I  must." 

"  And  you  are  really  going  to  -  morrow  ?"  she 
asked. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  "  I  have  positively  decided 
upon  that." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  it,"  she  said.  "  Good- 
night." 

When  Mrs.  Archibald  entered  her  cabin  she 
found  her  husband  sleeping  soundly,  and  she 
again  sat  down  by  the  window.  There  was  no 
such  thing  as  sleep  for  her  ;  her  mind  was  more 
tossed  and  troubled  than  it  had  been  before  she 
224 


A    MOONLIGHT    INTERVIEW 

went  out.  The  fact  that  the  bishop  was  going 
away  made  the  matter  worse,  for  just  as  she  had 
found  out  that  he  was  willing  to  help  her,  and 
that  he  might  be  able  to  keep  Raybold  away 
from  them  without  actual  violence — for  she  saw 
that  the  young  boaster  was  afraid  of  him — he 
had  told  her  he  must  leave,  and  in  her  heart  she 
did  not  blame  him.  With  great  fear  and  anxiety 
she  looked  forward  to  the  morrow. 

It  was  about  two  o'clock  when  Mrs.  Archibald 
suddenly  arose  from  her  seat  by  the  window  and 
lighted  a  candle.  Then  she  pulled  down  the 
shades  of  the  windows,  front  and  back,  after 
which  she  went  to  her  husband's  cot  and  put 
her  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  Hector,"  said  she,  "  wake  up." 

In  a  moment  Mr.  Archibald  was  staring  at  her. 
"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  he  exclaimed.  u  Are  you 
sick  ?" 

"  No,"  said  she,  "  but  I  have  something  very 
important  to  say  to  you.  I  want  you  to  get  up 
and  go  away  with  me,  and  take  Margery." 

Mr.  Archibald  sat  up  in  bed.  He  was  now  in 
full  possession  of  his  senses.  "  What  !"  said  he, 
"  elope  ?  And  where  to  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  that  is  exactly  what  I  mean, 
and  we  will  go  to  Sadler's  first,  and  then  home." 

"  Do  you  mean  now  ?"  said  he. 

u  Yes — that  is,  as  soon  as  it  is  light,"  she  re- 
plied. 

"  Are  you  positively  sure  you  are  awake,  Har- 
riet ?"  asked  Mr.  Archibald. 

"  Awake  !"  she  said.  "  I  have  not  been  asleep 
to-night.  Don't  you  see  I  am  dressed?"  And 
p  225 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

she  drew  a  chair  to  the  bedside  and  sat  down. 
"  I  know  more  about  what  is  going  on  than  you 
do,  Hector,"  she  said,  "  and  I  tell  you  if  we  stay 
any  longer  in  this  camp,  there  is  going  to  be 
great  trouble.  That  young  Raybold  pays  no  at- 
tention to  what  you  said  about  keeping  away 
from  us.  He  comes  here  when  he  pleases,  and  he 
says  he  intends  to  come.  I  asked  you  to  take  a 
walk  with  me  this  evening  because  I  saw  him 
coming  to  the  camp  -  fire  and  I  knew  that  you 
would  resent  it.  To-night  I  saw  him  walking  up 
and  down  in  front  of  our  cabin,  and  I  believe  he 
intended  to  try  to  speak  to  Margery.  I  went  out 
to  him  myself,  and  he  was  positively  insulting.  If 
the  bishop  had  not  happened  to  come  up,  I  be- 
lieve he  would  have  stayed  here  and  defied  me. 
But  he  made  him  go. 

"  Now  that  you  know  this,  Hector,  it  is  very 
certain  that  there  will  be  trouble  between  you 
and  that  young  man,  and  I  do  not  want  that. 
And,  besides  that,  there  is  his  sister  ;  she  is  as 
determined  to  preach  as  he  is  to  speak  to  Mar- 
gery. The  bishop  says  he  can't  stand  her  any 
longer,  and  he  is  going  away  to-morrow,  and 
that  will  make  it  all  the  worse  for  us — especially 
for  you,  Hector.  I  cannot  endure  this  state  of 
things  ;  it  has  made  me  so  nervous  I  cannot  get 
to  sleep,  and,  besides,  it  is  not  right  for  us  to 
keep  Margery  where  she  must  be  continually 
guarded  from  such  a  man.  Now  it  may  seem 
foolish  to  run  away,  but  I  have  thought  over  the 
matter  for  hours  and  hours,  and  it  is  the  only 
thing  to  do  ;  and  what  is  more,  it  is  very  easy  to 
do.  If  we  announce  that  we  are  going,  we  will 
226 


A    MOONLIGHT    INTERVIEW 

all  go,  and  the  chief  cause  of  quarrels  and  danger 
will  go  with  us.  I  know  you,  Hector  ;  you  will 
not  stand  his  impertinence. 

"  It  will  be  daylight  between  three  and  four 
o'clock,  and  we  three  can  start  out  quietly  and 
have  a  pleasant  walk  to  Sadler's.  It  is  only  four 
miles,  and  we  can  take  our  time.  We  need  not 
carry  anything  with  us  but  what  we  choose  to 
put  in  our  pockets.  We  can  pack  our  bags  and 
leave  them  here,  and  Mr.  Sadler  will  send  for 
them.  When  we  get  there  we  can  go  to  bed  if 
we  like,  and  have  time  enough  for  a  good  sleep 
before  breakfast,  and  then  we  can  take  the  morn- 
ing stage  and  leave  this  place  and  everybody  in 
it.  Now  please  don't  be  hasty  and  tell  me  all 
this  is  foolish.  Remember,  if  you  stay  here  you 
have  a  quarrel  on  your  hands,  and  I  shall  have 
hours  of  misery  until  that  quarrel  is  settled  ;  and 
no  matter  how  it  is  settled,  things  will  be  dis- 
agreeable afterwards." 

"  Harriet,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  suddenly  twist- 
ing himself  so  that  he  sat  on  the  side  of  the  bed, 
"  your  idea  is  a  most  admirable  one.  It  suits  me 
exactly.  Let  us  run  away.  It  is  impossible  for 
us  to  do  anything  better  than  that.  Have  you 
told  Margery  ?" 

"No,"  she  answered,  "but  I  will  go  to  her 
at  once." 

"  Be  quick  and  quiet,  then,"  said  her  husband, 
who  had  now  entered  fully  into  the  spirit  of  the 
adventure  ;  "  nobody  must  hear  us.  I  will  dress, 
and  then  we  will  pack." 

"  Margery,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  after  three 
times  shaking  the  sleeping  girl,  "  you  must  get  up. 
227 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Your  uncle  and  I  are  going  away,  and  you  must 
go  with  us." 

Margery  turned  her  great  eyes  on  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald, but  asked  no  questions. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  we  cannot  stay 
in  this  camp  any  longer,  on  account  of  Mr.  Ray- 
bold  and  various  other  things.  Matters  have 
come  to  a  crisis,  and  we  must  go,  and  more  than 
that,  we  must  slip  away  so  that  the  others  may 
not  go  with  us." 

"When  ?"  asked  Margery,  now  speaking  for  the 
first  time. 

"  As  soon  as  it  is  daylight." 

"  So  soon  as  that  ?"  said  the  girl,  a  shadow  on 
her  brow  which  was  very  plain  in  the  light  of  the 
candle  which  Mrs.  Archibald  had  brought  with 
her.  "  Surely  not  before  breakfast  ?" 

"  Margery,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  a  little  sharp- 
ly, "  you  do  not  seem  to  understand — you  are  not 
awake  ;  we  must  start  as  soon  as  it  is  light.  But 
we  cannot  discuss  it  now.  We  are  going,  and 
you  must  go  with  us.  You  must  get  up  and  pack 
your  things  in  your  bag,  which  we  shall  send 
for." 

Suddenly  a  light  came  into  Margery's  eyes  and 
she  sat  up.  "All  right,"  said  she,  "I  will  be 
ready  as  soon  as  you  are.  It  will  be  jolly  to  run 
away,  especially  so  early  in  the  morning," and  with 
that  she  jumped  out  of  bed. 


CHAPTER    XXVI 

AN   ELOPEMENT 

A  LITTLE  more  than  an  hour  after  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald had  made  known  her  project  to  her  hus- 
band the  three  inhabitants  of  the  cabin  stole  soft- 
ly out  into  the  delicate  light  of  the  early  dawn. 

Mr.  Archibald  had  thought  of  leaving  a  note 
for  Matlack,  but  his  wife  had  dissuaded  him.  She 
was  afraid  that  the  wrong  person  might  get  hold 
of  it. 

"  When  we  are  safely  at  Sadler's,"  she  said,  "  we 
can  send  for  our  bags,  with  a  note  to  Matlack.  It 
will  not  matter  then  who  knows."  She  had  a  firm 
belief  in  the  power  of  the  burly  keeper  of  the  inn 
to  prevent  trouble  on  his  premises. 

With  careful  but  rapid  steps  the  little  party 
passed  along  the  open  portion  of  the  camp,  keep- 
ing as  far  as  possible  from  the  tent  wherein  re- 
posed Corona  and  Mrs.  Perkenpine,  and  soon 
reached  the  entrance  of  the  wood  road.  Here  it 
was  not  quite  so  light  as  in  the  open,  but  still 
they  could  make  their  way  without  much  trouble, 
and  after  a  few  minutes'  walking  they  felt  per- 
fectly safe  from  observation,  and  slackening  their 
pace,  they  sauntered  along  at  their  ease. 

The  experience  was  a  novel  one  to  all  of  them  ; 
even  Mr.  Archibald  had  never  been  in  the  woods 
229 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

so  early  in  the  morning.  In  fact,  under  these 
great  trees  it  could  scarcely  be  said  to  be  morn- 
ing. The  young  light  which  made  its  uncertain 
way  through  the  foliage  was  barely  strong  enough 
to  cast  a  shadow,  and  although  these  woodland 
wanderers  knew  that  it  was  a  roadway  in  which 
they  were  walking,  that  great  trees  stood  on 
each  side  of  them,  with  branches  reaching  out 
over  their  heads,  and  that  there  were  bushes  and 
vines  and  here  and  there  a  moss-covered  rock  or 
a  fallen  tree,  they  saw  these  things  not  clearly 
and  distinctly,  but  as  through  a  veil.  But  there 
was  nothing  uncertain  about  the  air  they  breath- 
ed ;  full  of  the  moist  aroma  of  the  woods,  it  was 
altogether  different  from  the  noonday  odors  of 
the  forest. 

Stronger  and  stronger  grew  the  morning  light, 
and  more  and  more  clearly  perceptible  became 
the  greens,  the  browns,  and  the  grays  about  them. 
Now  the  birds  began  to  chatter  and  chirp,  and 
squirrels  ran  along  the  branches  of  the  trees,  while 
a  young  rabbit  bounced  out  from  some  bushes  and 
went  bounding  along  the  road.  This  early  morn- 
ing life  was  something  they  had  not  seen  in  their 
camp,  for  it  was  all  over  before  they  began  their 
day.  There  was  a  spring  by  the  roadside,  which 
they  had  noticed  when  they  had  come  that  way 
before,  and  when  they  reached  it  they  sat  down 
and  ate  some  biscuit  which  Mrs.  Archibald  had 
brought  with  her,  and  drank  cool  water  from  Mr. 
Archibald's  folding  pocket-cup. 

The  loveliness  of  the  scene,  the  novelty  of  the 
experience,  the  feeling  that  they  were  getting 
away  from  unpleasant  circumstances,  and  in  a 
230 


AN    ELOPEMENT 

perfectly  original  and  independent  fashion,  gave 
them  all  high  spirits.  Even  Mrs.  Archibald,  whose 
sleepless  night  might  have  been  supposed  to  in- 
terfere with  this  morning  walk,  declared  herself 
as  fresh  as  a  lark,  and  stated  that  she  knew  now 
why  a  lark  or  any  other  thing  that  got  up  early 
in  the  morning  should  be  fresh. 

They  had  not  left  the  spring  far  behind  them 
when  they  heard  a  rustling  in  the  woods  to  the 
right  of  the  road,  and  the  next  moment  there 
sprang  out  into  the  open,  not  fifty  feet  in  front  of 
them,  a  full-grown  red  deer.  They  were  so  star- 
tled by  this  apparition  that  they  all  stopped  as  if 
the  beautiful  creature  had  been  a  lion  in  their 
path.  For  an  instant  it  turned  its  great  brown 
eyes  upon  them,  and  then  with  two  bounds  it 
plunged  into  the  underbrush  on  the  other  side  of 
the  road.  Mrs.  Archibald  and  Margery  had  never 
before  seen  a  deer  in  the  woods. 

The  young  girl  clapped  her  hands.  "  It  all  re- 
minds me  of  my  first  night  at  the  opera  !"  she 
cried. 

Two  or  three  times  they  rested,  and  they  never 
walked  rapidly,  so  it  was  after  five  o'clock  when 
the  little  party  emerged  into  the  open  country 
and  approached  the  inn.  Not  a  soul  was  visible 
about  the  premises,  but  as  they  knew  that  some 
one  soon  would  be  stirring,  they  seated  them- 
selves in  three  arm-chairs  on  the  wide  piazza  to 
rest  and  wait. 

Peter  Sadler  was  an  early  riser,  and  when  the 
front  hall  door  was  open  he  appeared  thereat,  roll- 
ing his  wheeled  chair  out  upon  the  piazza  with  a 
bump — though  not  with  very  much  of  a  bump, 
231 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

for  the  house  was  built  to  suit  him  and  his  chair. 
But  he  did  not  take  his  usual  morning  roll  upon 
the  piazza,  for,  turning  his  head,  he  beheld  a  gen- 
tleman and  two  ladies  fast  asleep  in  three  great 
wicker  chairs. 

"  Upon  my  soul  !"  he  exclaimed.  "  If  they  ain't 
the  Camp  Robbers  !"  At  this  exclamation  they 
all  awoke. 

Ten  minutes  after  that  the  tale  had  been  told, 
and  if  the  right  arm  of  Mr.  Sadler's  chair  had  not 
been  strong  and  heavy  it  would  have  been  shiv- 
ered into  splinters. 

"As  usual,"  cried  the  stalwart  Peter,  "the 
wrong  people  ran  away.  If  I  had  seen  that  bicy- 
cle man  and  his  party  come  running  out  of  the 
woods,  I  should  have  been  much  better  satisfied, 
and  I  should  have  thought  you  had  more  spirit  in 
you,  sir,  than  I  gave  you  credit  for." 

"Oh,  you  mistake  my  husband  altogether!" 
cried  Mrs.  Archibald.  "  The  trouble  with  him  is 
that  he  has  too  much  spirit,  and  that  is  the  rea- 
son I  brought  him  away." 

"And  there  is  another  thing,"  exclaimed  Mar- 
gery. "  You  should  not  say  Mr.  Ray  bold  and  his 
party.  He  was  the  only  one  of  them  who  be- 
haved badly." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald.  "  His  sis- 
ter is  somewhat  obtrusive,  but  she  is  a  lady,  gen- 
tle and  polite,  and  it  would  have  been  very  painful 
to  her  and  as  painful  to  us  had  it  been  necessary 
forcibly  to  eject  her  brother  from  our  camp.  It 
was  to  avoid  all  this  that  we — " 

"  Eloped,"  interjected  Mr.  Archibald. 

The  good  Peter  laughed.  "Perhaps  you  are 
232 


AN    ELOPEMENT 

right,"  said  he.  "  But  I  shall  have  a  word  with 
that  bicycle  fellow  when  he  comes  this  way.  You 
are  an  original  party,  if  there  ever  was  one.  First 
you  go  on  somebody  else's  wedding-journey,  and 
then  you  elope  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and 
now  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  go  to  bed. 
You  can  have  a  good  sleep  and  a  nine-o'clock 
breakfast,  and  I  do  not  see  why  you  should  leave 
here  for  two  or  three  days." 

"  Oh,  we  must  go  this  morning,"  said  Mrs. 
Archibald,  quickly.  "We  must  go.  We  really 
cannot  wait  until  any  of  those  people  come  here. 
It  makes  me  nervous  to  think  about  it." 

"Very  good,  then,"  said  Peter.  "The  coach 
starts  for  the  train  at  eleven." 

Mrs.  Archibald  was  a  systematic  woman,  and 
was  in  the  habit  of  rising  at  half-past  seven,  and 
when  that  hour  arrived  she  awoke  as  if  she  had 
been  asleep  all  night.  Going  to  the  window  to 
see  what  sort  of  a  day  it  was,  which  was  also  her 
custom,  she  looked  out  upon  the  lawn  in  front  of 
the  house,  and  her  jaw  dropped  and  her  eyes 
opened.  There  she  beheld  Margery  and  Mr. 
Clyde  strolling  along  in  close  converse.  For  a 
moment  she  was  utterly  stupefied. 

"  What  can  this  mean  ?"  she  thought.  "  How 
could  they  have  missed  us  so  soon  ?  We  are  sel- 
dom out  of  our  cabin  before  eight  o'clock.  I  can- 
not comprehend  it !"  And  then  a  thought  came 
to  her  which  made  her  face  grow  pale.  "  Is  it  pos- 
sible," she  said  to  herself,  "that  any  of  the  others 
have  come  ?  I  must  go  immediately  and  find  out." 

In  ten  minutes  she  had  dressed  and  quietly  left 
the  room. 

233 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

When  Margery  saw  Mrs.  Archibald  descending 
the  piazza  steps,  she  left  Mr.  Clyde  and  came 
running  to  meet  her. 

"  I  expect  you  are  surprised  to  see  me  here," 
she  said,  "  but  I  intended  to  tell  you  and  Uncle 
Archibald  as  soon  as  you  came  down.  You  see,  I 
did  not  at  all  want  to  go  away  and  not  let  Mr. 
Clyde  know  what  had  become  of  me,  and  so,  after 
I  had  packed  my  bag,  I  wrote  a  little  note  to  him 
and  put  it  in  a  biscuit-box  under  a  stone  not  far 
from  my  window,  which  we  had  arranged  for  a 
post-office,  just  the  day  before." 

"  A  post-office  !"  cried  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"  Yes,"  said  Margery.  "  Of  course  there  wasn't 
any  need  for  one — at  least  we  did  not  suppose 
there  would  be — but  we  thought  it  would  be  nice ; 
for,  you  must  know,  we  are  engaged." 

"What!"  cried  Mrs.  Archibald.  "Engaged? 
Impossible  !  What  are  you  talking  about  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Margery,  "  we  are  really  engaged, 
and  it  was  absolutely  necessary.  Under  ordinary 
circumstances  this  would  not  have  happened  so 
soon,  but  as  things  were  it  could  not  be  delayed. 
Mr.  Clyde  thought  the  matter  over  very  careful- 
ly, and  he  decided  that  the  only  way  to  keep  me 
from  being  annoyed  and  frightened  by  Mr.  Ray- 
bold  was  for  him  to  have  the  right  to  defend  me. 
If  he  told  Mr.  Raybold  I  was  engaged  to  him,  that 
of  course  would  put  an  end  to  the  young  man's 
attentions.  We  were  engaged  only  yesterday,  so 
we  haven't  had  any  time  to  tell  anybody,  but  we 
intended  to  do  it  to-day,  beginning  with  you  and 
Uncle  Archibald.  Harrison  came  over  early  to 
the  post-office,  hoping  to  find  some  sort  of  a  note, 
234 


AN    ELOPEMENT 

and  he  was  wonderfully  astonished  when  he  read 
what  was  in  the  one  I  put  there.  I  told  him  not 
to  say  anything  to  anybody,  and  he  didn't,  but 
he  started  off  for  Sadler's  immediately,  and  came 
almost  on  a  run,  he  says,  he  was  so  afraid  I  might 
go  away  before  he  saw  me." 

u  Margery,"  exclaimed  the  elder  lady,  tears 
coming  into  her  eyes  as  she  spoke,  "  I  am  grieved 
and  shocked  beyond  expression.  What  can  I  say 
to  my  husband  ?  What  can  I  say  to  your  mother? 
From  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  wish  we  had  not 
brought  you  with  us  ;  but  how  could  I  dream 
that  all  this  trouble  would  come  of  it  ?" 

"  It  is  indeed  a  very  great  pity,"  said  Margery, 
"  that  Mr.  Clyde  and  I  could  not  have  been  en- 
gaged before  we  went  into  camp ;  then  Mr.  Ray- 
bold  would  have  had  no  reason  to  bother  me,  and 
I  should  have  had  no  trouble  with  Martin." 

"Martin!"  cried  Mrs.  Archibald.  "What  of 
him  ?" 

"  Oh,  he  was  in  love  with  me  too,"  replied  the 
young  girl,  "  and  we  had  talks  about  it,  and  I  sent 
him  away.  He  was  really  a  young  man  far  above 
his  station,  and  was  doing  the  things  he  did  sim- 
ply because  he  wanted  to  study  nature  ;  but  of 
course  I  could  not  consider  him  at  all." 

"  And  that  was  the  reason  he  left  us  !"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Archibald.  "  Upon  my  word,  it  is 
amazing  !" 

"  Yes,"  said  Margery ;  "  and  don't  you  see, 
Aunt  Harriet,  how  many  reasons  there  were  why 
Mr.  Clyde  and  I  should  settle  things  definitely  and 
become  engaged  ?  Now  there  need  be  no  further 
trouble  with  anybody." 

235 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

Distressed  as  she  was,  Mrs.  Archibald  could 
not  refrain  from  smiling.  "  No  further  trouble !" 
she  said.  "  I  think  you  would  better  wait  until 
Mr.  Archibald  and  your  mother  have  heard  this 
story  before  you  say  that." 

Mr.  Archibald  was  dressing  for  breakfast  when 
his  wife  told  him  of  Margery's  engagement,  and 
the  announcement  caused  him  to  twirl  around  so 
suddenly  that  he  came  very  near  breaking  a  look- 
ing-glass with  his  hair-brush.  He  made  a  dash 
for  his  coat.  "  I  will  see  him,"  he  said,  and  his 
eyes  sparkled  in  a  way  which  indicated  that  they 
could  discover  a  malefactor  without  the  aid  of 
spectacles. 

"  Stop  !"  said  his  wife,  standing  in  his  way. 
"  Don't  go  to  them  when  you  are  angry.  We 
have  just  got  out  of  trouble,  and  don't  let  us 
jump  into  it  again.  If  they  are  really  and  truly 
engaged — and  I  am  sure  they  are — we  have  no 
authority  to  break  it  off,  and  the  less  you  say  the 
better.  What  we  must  do  is  to  take  her  immedi- 
ately to  her  mother,  and  let  her  settle  the  matter 
as  best  she  can.  If  she  knows  her  daughter  as 
well  as  I  do,  I  am  sure  she  will  acquit  us  of  all 
blame." 

Mr.  Archibald  was  very  indignant  and  said  a 
great  deal,  but  his  wife  was  firm  in  her  counsel 
to  avoid  any  hard  words  or  bad  feeling  in  a  mat- 
ter over  which  they  had  now  no  control. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  at  last,  "  I  will  pass  over  the 
whole  affair  to  Mrs.  Dearborn,  but  I  hope  I  may 
eat  my  breakfast  without  seeing  them.  What- 
ever happens,  I  need  a  good  meal." 

When  Mr.  Archibald  came  out  of  the  breakfast- 
236 


AN    ELOPEMENT 

room,  his  mind  considerably  composed  by  hot 
rolls  and  coffee,  he  met  Margery  in  the  hall. 

"  Dear  Uncle  Archibald,"  she  exclaimed,  "  I  have 
been  waiting  and  waiting  for  you.  I  hope  you 
are  not  angry.  Please  be  as  kind  to  us  as  you  can, 
and  remember,  it  was  just  the  same  with  us  as  it 
was  with  you  and  Aunt  Harriet.  You  would  not 
have  run  away  from  the  camp  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  if  you  could  have  helped  it,  and  we 
should  not  have  been  engaged  so  suddenly  if  we 
could  have  helped  it.  But  we  all  had  to  do  what 
we  did  on  account  of  the  conduct  of  others,  and 
as  it  is  settled  now,  I  think  we  ought  all  to  try  to 
be  as  happy  as  we  can,  and  forget  our  troubles. 
Here  is  Harrison,  and  he  and  I  both  pray  from 
the  bottom  of  our  hearts  that  you  will  shake 
hands  with  him.  I  know  you  always  liked  him, 
for  you  have  said  so.  And  now  we  are  both 
going  to  mother  to  tell  her  all  about  it." 

"Both?"  said  Mr.  Archibald. 

"  Yes,"  said  Margery  ;  "  we  must  go  together, 
otherwise  mother  would  know  nothing  about  him, 
and  I  should  be  talking  to  no  purpose.  But  we 
are  going  to  do  everything  frankly  and  openly 
and  go  straight  to  her,  and  put  our  happiness  in 
her  hands." 

Mr.  Archibald  looked  at  her  steadfastly.  "  Such 
ingenuousness,"  he  said,  presently,  "  is  overpower- 
ing. Mr.  Clyde,  how  do  you  do  ?  Do  you  think 
it  is  going  to  be  a  fine  day  ?" 

The  young  man  smiled.  "  I  think  it  is  going  to 
be  a  fine  lifetime,"  said  he. 

The  party  was  gathered  together  on  the  piazza, 
ready  to  take  the  coach.  The  baggage  had  ar- 
237 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

rived  from  the  camp  in  a  cart ;  but  Phil  Matlack 
had  not  come  with  it,  as  he  remained  to  take 
down  his  tent  and  settle  affairs  generally.  They 
were  all  sorry  not  to  see  him  again,  for  he  had 
proved  himself  a  good  man  and  a  good  guide  ;  but 
when  grown-up  married  people  elope  before  day- 
break something  must  be  expected  to  go  wrong. 
Hearty  and  substantial  remembrances  were  left 
for  him,  and  kind  words  of  farewell  for  the 
bishop,  and  even  for  Miss  Corona  when  she 
should  appear. 

Peter  Sadler  was  loath  to  part  with  his  guests. 
"You  are  more  interesting  now  than  ever  you 
were,"  he  said,  "and  I  want  to  hear  all  about 
that  hermit  business  ;  you've  just  barely  men- 
tioned it." 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  with  a 
solemn  visage,  "  sooner  or  later  Miss  Corona 
Raybold  will  present  herself  at  this  inn  on  her 
way  home.  If  you  want  to  know  anything  about 
her  plan  to  assist  human  beings  to  assert  their 
individualities,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  men- 
tion the  fact  to  her." 

"Good-bye,  then,"  said  Peter,  shaking  hands 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archibald.  "  I  don't  know 
what  out-of-the-way  thing  you  two  will  do  next, 
but,  whatever  it  is,  I  ho.pe  it  will  bring  you  here." 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
MRS.    PERKENPINE    DELIGHTS    THE    BISHOP 

IT  was  the  bishop  who  first  appreciated  the  fact 
that  a  certain  air  of  loneliness  had  descended 
upon  the  shore  of  the  lake.  He  had  prepared 
breakfast  at  his  camp,  but  as  Mr.  Clyde  did  not 
make  his  appearance  he  went  to  Camp  Rob  to 
look  for  him.  There  he  saw  Matlack  and  his  as- 
sistant busy  in  their  kitchen  tent,  and  Mrs.  Per- 
kenpine  was  also  engaged  in  culinary  matters. 
He  had  left  Arthur  Raybold  asleep  at  Camp  Roy, 
but  of  the  ladies  and  gentleman  who  were  usual- 
ly visible  at  the  breakfast-hour  at  Camp  Rob  he 
saw  no  signs,  and  he  approached  Mrs.  Perkenpine 
to  inquire  for  Clyde.  At  his  question  the  sturdy 
woman  turned  and  smiled.  It  was  a  queer  smile, 
reminding  the  bishop  of  the  opening  and  shutting 
of  a  farm  gate. 

"  He's  a  one-er,"  said  she.  "  Do  you  suppose 
he  could  ketch  a  rabbit,  no  matter  how  fast  he 
ran?" 

"  Come,  now,"  said  the  bishop,  "  he  wasn't  try- 
ing to  do  that?" 

"  He  was  either  doin'  that,  or  else  he  was  run- 

nin'   away.      I   seed   him   early   this  mornin' — I 

wasn't  up,  but  I  was  lookin'  round — and  I  thought 

from  the  way  he  was  actin'  that  he'd  set  a  rabbit- 

239 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

trap  and  was  goin'  to  see  if  he'd  caught  anything, 
and  pretty  soon  I  seed  him  runnin'  like  Sam  Hill, 
as  if  his  rabbit  had  got  away  from  him.  But 
perhaps  it  wasn't  that,  and  maybe  somebody 
skeered  him.  Anyway,  he's  clean  gone." 

The  bishop  stood  and  reflected  ;  the  affair 
looked  serious.  Clyde  was  a  practical,  sensible 
fellow — and  he  was  gone.  Why  did  he  go  ? 

"Have  you  seen  any  of  the  Archibalds  yet?" 
he  asked. 

"  No,"  said  she  ;  "  I  guess  they're  not  up  yet, 
though  it's  late  for  them.  My  young  woman 
ain't  up  nuther,  but  it  ain't  late  for  her." 

The  bishop  walked  slowly  towards  the  cabin  and 
regarded  it  earnestly.  After  a  few  minutes  in- 
spection he  stepped  up  to  the  door  and  knocked. 
Then  he  knocked  again  and  again,  and  hearing 
nothing  from  within  he  became  alarmed,  and  ran 
to  Matlack. 

"  Hello  !"  he  cried.  "  Something  has  happened 
to  your  people,  or  they  have  gone  away.  Come 
to  the  cabin,  quick  !" 

In  less  than  a  minute  Matlack,  the  bishop,  and 
Bill  Hammond  were  at  the  cabin,  and  the  un- 
fastened door  was  opened  wide.  No  one  was  in 
the  house,  that  was  plain  enough,  but  on  the 
floor  were  four  bags  packed  for  transportation. 

Matlack  looked  about  him,  and  then  he  laughed. 
"  All  right,"  said  he  ;  "  there  ain't  no  need  of  wor- 
ryin'  ourselves.  They  haven't  left  a  thing  of 
theirs  about,  everything  's  packed  up  and  ready 
to  be  sent  for.  When  people  do  that,  you  may  be 
sure  nothing  's  happened  to  them.  They've  gone 
off,  and  I  bet  it's  to  get  rid  of  that  young  wom- 
240 


THE    BISHOP    DELIGHTED 

an's  preachin'.     But  I  don't  blame  them  ;  I  don't 
wonder  they  couldn't  stand  it." 

The  bishop  made  no  reply.  Remembering  his 
recent  conversation  with  Mrs.  Archibald,  he  be- 
lieved that,  if  they  had  quietly  gone  away,  there 
was  a  better  reason  for  it  than  Miss  Raybold's 
fluency  of  expression.  It  was  possible  that  some- 
thing might  have  happened  after  he  had  retired 
from  the  scene  the  night  before,  for  when  he 
went  to  sleep  Raybold  was  still  walking  up  and 
down  in  the  moonlight. 

His  mind  was  greatly  disturbed.  They  were 
gone,  and  he  was  left.  "  What  are  you  going  to 
do  ?"  he  asked  Matlack. 

"  Nothin'  just  now,"  said  the  guide.  "  If  they 
don't  send  for  their  things  pretty  soon,  I'll  go 
over  to  Sadler's  and  find  out  what's  the  matter. 
But  they're  all  right.  Look  how  careful  them 
bags  is  strapped  up  !" 

The  bishop  left  the  cabin  and  walked  thought- 
fully away  in  the  direction  of  Camp  Roy.  In  two 
minutes  he  had  made  up  his  mind:  he  would  eat 
his  breakfast — he  could  not  travel  upon  an  empty 
stomach — and  then  he  would  depart.  That  was 
imperative. 

When  he  reached  the  camp  he  found  that  Ray- 
bold  had  risen  and  was  pouring  out  for  himself  a 
bowl  of  coffee.  Seeing  the  bishop  approach,  the 
young  man's  face  grew  dark,  as  might  have  been 
expected  from  the  events  of  the  night  before,  and 
he  hurriedly  placed  some  articles  of  food  upon 
a  plate,  and  was  about  leaving  the  stove  when 
the  bishop  reached  him.  Raybold  turned  with  a 
frown,  and  what  was  meant  to  be  a  glare. 
Q  241 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  I  shall  bide  my  time,"  said  he,  and  with  his 
coffee  and  his  plate  he  retired  to  a  distance. 

The  bishop  smiled  but  made  no  answer,  and  sat 
down  and  ate  his  meal  in  peace  ;  then  he  pre- 
pared to  depart.  He  had  nothing  but  a  little 
bag,  and  it  did  not  take  long  to  put  in  order  the 
simple  culinary  department  of  the  camp.  When 
all  was  done  he  stood  for  some  minutes  thinking. 
There  was  a  path  through  the  woods  which  led 
to  the  road,  so  that  he  might  go  on  to  Sadler's 
without  the  knowledge  of  any  one  at  Camp  Rob, 
but  he  felt  that  he  ought  to  see  Matlack  and  tell 
him  that  he  was  going.  If  anything  went  wrong 
at  Camp  Roy  he  did  not  wish  to  be  held  respon- 
sible for  it.  Mr.  Archibald  could  afford  to  go 
away  without  saying  anything  about  it,  but  he 
could  not,  and,  besides,  if  he  should  happen  to  see 
Miss  Raybold  it  would  be  far  more  gentlemanly 
to  tell  her  that  he  was  going  and  to  bid  her  good- 
bye, than  to  slip  off  through  the  woods  like  a 
tramp.  He  would  go,  that  he  was  determined 
upon  ;  but  he  would  go  like  a  man. 

When  he  reached  Camp  Rob  the  first  person 
he  saw  was  Miss  Raybold,  standing  near  her  tent 
with  a  roll  of  paper  in  her  hand.  The  moment 
she  perceived  him  she  walked  rapidly  towards 
him. 

"  Good-morning,"  she  said.  u  Did  you  know  that 
the  Archibalds  had  gone  ?  I  never  was  so  amazed 
in  all  my  life.  I  was  eating  my  breakfast  when  a 
man  and  a  cart  drove  up  to  their  cabin,  and  Mrs. 
Perkenpine,  running  to  see  what  this  meant,  soon 
came  back  and  told  me  that  the  family  of  three 
had  departed  in  the  night,  and  had  sent  this  cart 
242 


THE    BISHOP    DELIGHTED 

for  their  baggage.  I  think  this  was  a  very  un- 
civil proceeding,  and  I  do  not  in  the  least  under- 
stand it.  Can  you  imagine  any  reason  for  this 
extremely  uncourieous  action?" 

The  bishop  could  imagine  reasons,  but  he  did 
not  care  to  state  them. 

"  It  may  be,"  he  said,  with  a  smile,  "  that  they 
discovered  that  their  natures  demanded  hotel 
beds  instead  of  camp  cots,  and  that  they  imme- 
diately departed  in  obedience  to  the  mandates  of 
their  individualities." 

"  But  in  so  doing,"  said  Miss  Raybold,  "  they 
violated  the  principles  of  association.  Our  scheme 
included  mutual  confidence  as  well  as  self-investi- 
gation and  assertion.  I  must  admit  that  Mr. 
Archibald  disappointed  me.  I  think  he  misunder- 
stood my  project.  By  holding  one's  self  entirely 
aloof  from  humanity  one  encourages  self-igno- 
rance. But  perhaps  our  party  was  somewhat  too 
large  —  the  elements  too  many  and  inharmoni- 
ous—  and  I  see  no  reason  why  we  who  remain 
should  relinquish  our  purpose.  I  believe  it  will 
be  easier  for  us  to  become  truly  ourselves  than 
when  our  number  was  greater,  and  so  I  propose 
that  we  make  no  change  whatever  in  our  plans  ; 
that  we  live  on,  for  the  time  agreed  upon,  ex- 
actly as  if  the  Archibalds  were  here.  And  now, 
if  you  have  a  few  minutes  to  spare,  I  would  like 
to  read  you  something  I  wrote  this  morning  be- 
fore I  left  my  tent.  I  was  awake  during  the 
night,  and  thought  for  a  long  time  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  mental  assimilation,  the  discussion  of 
which  we  did  not  finish  last  evening,  and  this 
morning,  while  my  thoughts  were  fresh,  I  put 
243 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

them  upon  paper,  and  now  I  would  like  to  read 
them  to  you.  Isn't  there  some  shady  place  where 
we  might  sit  down  ?  There  are  two  camp-chairs ; 
will  you  kindly  place  them  under  this  tree?" 

The  bishop  sighed,  but  he  went  for  the  chairs. 
It  would  be  too  hard  for  him  to  tell  her  he  was 
going  to  leave  the  camp,  and  he  would  not  try 
to  do  it.  He  would  slip  off  as  soon  as  he  had  a 
chance,  and  leave  a  note  for  her.  She  would  not 
perhaps  like  that,  but  it  was  the  best  he  could  do. 

The  reading  of  the  paper  occupied  at  least  half 
an  hour,  and  when  it  was  finished,  and  Corona 
had  begun  to  make  some  remarks  on  a  portion  of 
it  which  she  had  not  fully  elaborated,  Mrs.  Perken- 
pine  approached,  and  stood  before  her. 

"Well,  miss,"  said  she,  "  I'm  off." 

Miss  Raybold  fixed  her  eye-glasses  upon  her. 
"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  she  asked. 

"  I'm  goin'  back  to  Sadler's,"  she  replied.  "  Phil's 
goin',  and  I'm  goin'.  He's  jest  told  me  that  the 
cart  's  comin'  back  for  the  kitchen  fixin's  and  his 
things,  and  him  and  Bill  Hammond  is  goin'  to 
Sadler's  with  it ;  and  if  he  goes,  I  goes." 

This  speech  had  a  very  different  effect  upon  its 
two  hearers.  Corona  was  as  nearly  angry  as  her 
self-contained  nature  would  permit ;  but,  al- 
though he  did  not  allow  his  feelings  to  betray 
him,  the  bishop  was  delighted.  Now  they  must 
all  go,  and  that  suited  him  exactly. 

"It  is  a  positive  and  absolute  breach  of  con- 
tract !"  exclaimed  Miss  Raybold.  "  You  agreed 
to  remain  in  my  service  during  my  stay  in  camp, 
and  you  have  no  right  to  go  away  now,  no  matter 
who  else  may  depart." 

244 


THE    BISHOP    DELIGHTED 

Mrs.  Perkenpine  grinned.  "  That  sort  of  thing 
was  all  very  well  a  week  ago,"  said  she,  "  but  it 
won't  work  now.  I've  been  goin'  to  school  to 
myself  pretty  steady,  and  I've  kept  myself  in  a 
good  deal,  too,  for  not  knowin'  my  lessons,  and 
I've  drummed  into  me  a  pretty  good  idea  of  what 
I  be,  and  I  can  tell  you  I'm  not  a  woman  as  stays 
here  when  Phil  Matlack's  gone.  I'm  not  a  bit 
scary,  but  I  never  stayed  in  camp  yet  with  all 
greenhorns  but  me.  When  I  find  myself  in  that 
sort  of  a  mess,  it's  my  nater  to  get  out  of  it.  Phil 
says  he's  goin'  to  start  the  fust  thing  this  after- 
noon, and  that's  the  time  I'm  goin',  and  so,  if  you 
would  like  to  go,  you  can  send  word  by  that  man 
in  the  cart  to  have  you  and  your  things  sent  for, 
and  we  can  all  clear  out  together." 

"  Positively,"  exclaimed  Corona,  turning  to  the 
bishop,  "  this  is  the  most  high-handed  proceeding 
I  ever  heard  of  !" 

"  That's  'xactly  what  I  think,"  said  Mrs.  Per- 
kenpine ;  "  it  most  takes  my  breath  away  to  think 
how  high-handed  I  am.  Before  I  knowed  myself 
I  couldn't  have  been  that  way  to  save  my  skin. 
There  didn't  use  to  be  any  individdlety  about 
me.  You  might  take  a  quart  of  huckleberries 
and  ask  yourself  what  it  was  particular  'bout  any 
one  of  them  huckleberries — 'xceptin'  it  might  be 
green,  and  it's  a  long  time  since  I  was  that  way 
— and  you'd  know  jest  as  much  about  that  huckle- 
berry as  I  knowed  about  myself.  Now  it's  differ- 
ent. It's  just  the  same  as  if  there  was  only  one 
huckleberry  in  a  quart  box,  and  it  ain't  no  trouble 
to  see  all  around  that." 

"  I  think,  Miss  Raybold,"  said  the  bishop,  "  that 
245 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

this  good  woman  has  prosecuted  her  psychical 
researches  with  more  effect  than  any  of  us." 

"  Bosh  !"  exclaimed  Miss  Raybold.  "  Do  you 
really  think  I  must  leave  this  camp  at  the  dicta- 
tion of  that  person  ?" 

'"Scuse  me,"  said  Mrs.  Perkenpin-e,  "but  I'm 
goin'  to  scratch  things  together  for  movin'.  We'll 
have  dinner  here,  and  then  we'll  pack  up  and  be 
off  as  soon  as  the  carts  come.  That's  what  Phil 
says  he's  goin'  to  do." 

With  a  satisfied  mind  and  internal  gratitude  to 
Mrs.  Perkenpine,  who  had  made  everything  easy 
for  him,  the  bishop  endeavored  to  make  Corona 
feel  that,  as  her  departure  from  the  camp  was  in- 
evitable, it  would  be  well  not  to  disturb  her  mind 
too  much  about  it.  But  it  was  of  no  use  trying 
to  console  the  lady. 

"It  is  too  bad,"  she  said;  "it  is  humiliating. 
Here  I  believed  that  I  was  truly  myself;  that  I 
was  an  independent  entity  ;  that  I  was  free  to 
assert  my  individual  nature  and  to  obey  its  im- 
pulses, and  now  I  find  that  I  am  nothing  but  the 
slave  of  a  female  guide.  Actually  I  must  obey 
her,  and  I  must  conform  to  her  !" 

"It  is  true,"  said  the  bishop,  musingly,  "that 
although  we  may  discover  ourselves,  and  be 
greatly  pleased  with  the  prospect  of  what  we  see, 
we  may  not  be  permitted  to  enter  into  its  enjoy- 
ment, and  must  content  ourselves  with  looking 
over  the  fence  and  longing  for  what  we  see." 

Corona  faintly  smiled.  "  When  we  have  climbed 
high  enough  to  see  over  that  fence,"  she  said,  "  it 
becomes  our  duty  to  break  it  down." 

"  When  I  was  in  England,"  said  the  bishop,  "  I 
246 


THE    BISHOP    DELIGHTED 

saw  a  fence — an  oak  fence — which  they  told  me 
had  stood  for  four  hundred  years.  It  looked 
awfully  tough,  and  it  now  reminds  me  of  some  of 
the  manners  and  customs  of  civilization." 

"  When  you  were  in  England,"  said  Corona, 
"did  you  visit  Newnham  College  ?" 

He  never  had.  But  she  told  him  that  she  had 
been  there  for  two  years.  "And  now,"  she  con- 
tinued, "  there  may  be  time  enough  before  I  must 
pack  up  my  effects  to  finish  what  I  was  going  to 
say  to  you  about  approximate  assimilations." 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 
THE  HERMITS   CONTINUE   TO    FAVOR    ASSOCIATION 

WHEN  the  Archibald  party  reached  the  capital 
city  of  their  State,  the  four  of  them  took  a  car- 
riage and  drove  immediately  to  the  Dearborn 
residence.  Margery  had  insisted  that  Mr.  Clyde 
should  go  with  them,  so  that  he  and  she  should 
present  themselves  together  before  her  parents. 
In  no  other  way  did  she  believe  that  the  subject 
could  be  properly  presented.  The  Archibalds  did 
not  object  to  this  plan  ;  in  fact,  under  the  circum- 
stances, they  were  in  favor  of  it.  During  the 
journey  young  Clyde  had  produced  a  very  favor- 
able impression  upon  them.  They  had  always 
liked  him  well  enough,  and  now  that  they  exam- 
ined his  character  more  critically,  they  could  not 
fail  to  see  that  he  was  a  kind-hearted,  gentle- 
manly young  man,  intelligent  and  well  educated, 
and,  according  to  private  information  from  Mar- 
gery, his  family  was  of  the  best. 

Arrived  at  the  Dearborn  door,  they  found  the 
house  in  the  possession  of  one  female  servant,  who 
informed  them  that  Mr.  Dearborn  was  in  Canada, 
on  a  fishing  expedition  ;  that  Mrs.  Dearborn  had 
gone  to  attend  some  sort  of  a  congress  at  Sara- 
toga, and  that  she  did  not  expect  to  be  at  home 
until  the  following  Friday,  three  days  after,  which 
248 


CONTINUED    ASSOCIATION 

was  the  day  on  which  she  had  expected  her 
daughter  to  be  brought  back  to  her.  This  was 
disheartening,  and  the  four  stood  upon  the  steps 
irresolute.  Margery  ought  to  go  to  her  mother, 
but  neither  of  the  Archibalds  wished  to  go  to 
Saratoga,  nor  could  they  despatch  thither  the 
prematurely  betrothed  couple. 

"  I  know  what  we  must  do,"  said  Mrs.  Archi- 
bald, "  we  must  go  home." 

"  But,  my  dear,"  said  her  husband,  "  we  agreed 
to  stay  away  for  a  month,  and  the  month  is  not 
yet  up." 

"  It  doesn't  matter,"  said  she,  "  Kate  and  her 
husband  will  take  us  in  for  the  few  days  left. 
When  we  explain  all  that  we  have  gone  through, 
she  will  not  be  hard-hearted  enough  to  make  us  go 
to  a  hotel  until  Friday ;  Margery  can  come  with  us." 

Margery  turned  upon  Mrs.  Archibald  a  pair  of 
eyes  filled  with  earnest  inquiry. 

"  I  know  what  you  want,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald. 
"  No,  he  can  go  to  a  hotel  in  the  town ;  and  I  shall 
write  to  your  mother  to  come  to  us  as  soon  as  she 
returns ;  then  you  two  can  present  yourselves  to- 
gether according  to  your  plans.  There  is  no  use 
talking  about  it,  Hector ;  it  is  the  only  thing  we 
can  do." 

"We  shall  break  our  word  to  the  newly  mar- 
ried," said  her  husband.  "  Isn't  there  a  State  law 
against  that?" 

"When  we  made  that  arrangement,"  said  his 
wife,  going  down  the  steps,  "  we  did  not  know 
our  individual  selves  ;  now  we  do,  and  the  case  is 
different.  Kate  will  understand  all  that  when  I 
explain  it  to  her." 

249 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

They  drove  back  to  the  station,  and  took  a  train 
for  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bringhurst  were  sitting  in  the  cool 
library  about  nine  o'clock  that  evening;  he  was 
reading  while  she  was  listening,  and  they  were 
greatly  astonished  when  they  heard  a  carriage 
drive  up  to  the  front  door.  During  their  domes- 
tic honey-moon  they  had  received  no  visitors,  and 
they  looked  at  each  other  and  wondered. 

"  It  is  a  mistake,"  said  he  ;  "  but  don't  trouble 
yourself.  Mary  has  not  gone  to  bed,  and  she  will 
hear  the  bell." 

But  there  was  no  bell ;  the  door  was  opened, 
and  in  came  father  and  mother,  followed  by  a 
strange  young  couple. 

"  It  is  wonderful !"  exclaimed  Kate,  when  at 
last  everybody  had  been  embraced  or  introduced. 
"A  dozen  times  during  the  last  week  have  we 
talked  about  the  delight  it  would  give  us  if  our 
father  and  mother  could  be  here  to  be  enter- 
tained a  little  while  as  our  guests  in  our  own 
house — for  you  gave  it  to  us  for  a  month,  you 
know.  But  we  refrained  from  sending  you  an  in- 
vitation because  we  did  not  want  to  cut  off  your 
holiday.  And  now  you  are  here  !  The  good  fair- 
ies could  not  have  arranged  the  matter  better." 

When  all  the  tales  had  been  told ;  when  the  as- 
sertion of  individuality  and  the  plans  of  hermit 
association  had  been  described  and  discussed,  and 
the  young  Bringhursts  had  told  how  they,  too, 
without  knowing  it,  had  been  associate  hermits, 
devoting  their  time  not  to  the  discovery  of  their 
own  natures,  but  of  the  nature  of  each  other,  and 
how  perfectly  satisfied  they  had  been  with  the  re- 
250 


CONTINUED    ASSOCIATION 

suits,  it  was  very  late,  and  young  Clyde  was  not 
allowed  to  go  out  into  the  darkness  to  find  a 
hotel. 

It  was  on  Thursday  afternoon  that  Mrs.  Dear- 
born arrived  at  the  Archibalds'  house.  The  letter 
she  had  received  had  made  her  feel  that  she  could 
not  wait  until  the  end  of  the  congress. 

"  Now,  mother,"  said  Margery,  when  the  two 
were  alone  together,  "  you  have  seen  him  and  you 
have  talked  to  him,  and  Uncle  Hector  has  told 
you  how  he  went  to  the  office  of  Glassborough  & 
Clyde  and  found  he  was  really  their  nephew,  and 
all  about  him  and  his  family ;  and  you  have  been 
told  precisely  why  it  was  necessary  that  we  should 
engage  ourselves  so  abruptly  on  account  of  the 
violent  nature  of  Mr.  Raybold  and  the  trouble  he 
might  cause,  not  only  to  us,  but  to  dear  Aunt 
Harriet  and  Uncle  Archibald.  And  now  we  come 
just  like  two  of  your  own  children  and  put  the 
whole  matter  entirely  into  your  hands  and  leave 
you  to  decide,  out  of  your  own  heart,  exactly 
when  and  where  we  shall  be  married,  and  all 
about  it.  Then,  when  father  comes  home,  you 
can  tell  him  just  what  you  have  decided  to  do. 
You  are  our  parents,  and  we  leave  it  to  you." 

"  What  in  the  world,"  said  Mrs.  Dearborn,  an 
hour  later,  when  she  was  talking  to  the  two  mar- 
ried ladies  of  the  household,  "  can  one  do  with  a 
girl  like  that?  I  do  not  believe  dynamite  would 
blow  them  apart ;  and  if  I  thought  it  would  I 
should  not  know  how  to  manage  it." 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "  I  am  afraid  the 
explosion  would  be  as  bad  for  you  as  it  would  be 
for  them." 

251 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"  Don't  try  it,"  said  Mrs.  Kate.  "  I  take  a  great 
interest  in  that  budding  bit  of  felicity  ;  I  consider 
it  an  outgrowth  of  our  own  marriage  and  honey- 
moon. When  we  sent  out  that  wild  couple,  my 
father  and  mother,  on  a  wedding-tour,  we  did  not 
dream  that  they  would  bring  back  to  us  a  pair  of 
lovers,  who  never  would  have  been  lovers  if  it  had 
not  been  for  us,  and  who  are  now  ready  for  a 
wedding -tour  on  their  own  account,  as  soon  as 
circumstances  may  permit.  And  so,  feeling  a 
little  right  and  privilege  in  the  matter,  I  am  go- 
ing to  ask  you,  Mrs.  Dearborn,  to  let  them  be 
married  here  whenever  the  wedding  -  day  shall 
come,  and  let  them  start  out  from  this  house  on 
their  marriage  career.  Now  don't  you  think  that 
would  be  a  fine  plan  ?  I  am  sure  your  daughter 
will  like  it,  when  she  remembers  what  she  owes 
us  ;  and  if  Mr.  Clyde  objects  I  will  undertake  to 
make  him  change  his  mind." 

When  the  plan  was  proposed  in  full  counsel,  it 
was  found  that  there  would  be  no  need  for  the 
exercise  of  Mrs.  Kate's  powers  of  persuasion. 

About  ten  days  after  Mrs.  Dearborn  and  Mar- 
gery had  returned  to  their  home,  and  Clyde  had 
followed,  to  move  like  a  satellite  in  an  orbit  de- 
termined by  Mrs.  Dearborn,  Mr.  Archibald  was 
surprised,  but  also  very  much  pleased,  to  receive 
a  visit  from  the  bishop. 

"  I  could  not  refrain,"  said  that  expansive  indi- 
vidual, "  from  coming  to  you  as  soon  as  circum- 
stances would  allow,  and,  while  expressing  to  you 
the  great  obligations  under  which  you  have  placed 
me,  to  confide  to  you  my  plans  and  my  prospects. 
252 


CONTINUED    ASSOCIATION 

You  have  been  so  good  to  me  that  I  believe  you 
will  be  pleased  to  know  of  the  life  work  to  which 
I  have  determined  to  devote  myself." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear,"  said  the  other,  "  that  you 
have  made  plans,  but  you  owe  nothing  to  me." 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  the  bishop,  "  but  I  do.  This 
suit  of  clothes,  sir,  is  the  foundation  of  my  fort- 
unes." 

"And  well  earned,"  said  Mr.  Archibald.  "  But 
we  will  say  no  more  about  that.  Have  you 
secured  a  position  ?  Tell  me  about  yourself." 

"  I  have  a  position,"  said  the  bishop.  "  But 
would  you  prefer  that  I  tell  you  of  that  first,  or 
begin  at  the  beginning  and  briefly  relate  to  you 
what  has  happened  since  I  saw  you  last  ?" 

"Oh,  begin  at  the  beginning,  by  all  means," 
said  Mr.  Archibald.  "  I  was  sorry  to  be  obliged 
to  leave  you  all  so  unceremoniously,  and  I  great- 
ly desire  to  know  what  happened  after  we  left." 

"Very  good,  then,"  said  the  bishop,  "I  will 
give  you  our  history  in  as  few  words  as  I  can. 
On  the  afternoon  after  your  departure  we  all 
went  to  Sadler's — that  is,  Miss  Raybold  and  my- 
self and  the  three  guides  ;  for  Raybold,  when  he 
heard  that  Miss  Dearborn  and  Mr.  Clyde  had 
gone,  immediately  left  for  Sadler's,  hoping,  I 
think,  to  find  you  all  there.  From  what  I  heard, 
I  think  he  and  Peter  Sadler  must  have  had 
words.  At  any  rate,  he  discovered  that  his  case 
was  hopeless,  and  he  had  himself  driven  to  the 
station  in  a  carriage,  not  choosing  to  wait  until 
our  arrival.  I  have  since  heard  that  he  has  de- 
termined to  relinquish  the  law  and  devote  him- 
self to  the  dramatic  arts. 
253 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

"For  some  reason  or  other,  Peter  Sadler  was 
very  glad  to  see  me,  and  congratulated  me  heart- 
ily on  the  favorable  change  in  my  appearance. 
He  called  me  his  favorite  tramp,  and  invited  me 
to  stop  at  his  hotel  for  a  time,  but  I  consented  to 
stay  a  few  days  only,  for  I  felt  I  must  go  to  see 
the  gentleman  to  whom  I  wished  to  engage  my- 
self as  librarian  before  my  new  clothes  had  lost 
their  freshness.  Miss  Raybold  arranged  to  stay 
at  Sadler's  for  a  week.  She  liked  the  place,  and 
as  she  had  planned  to  remain  away  from  home  for 
a  fortnight,  she  did  not  wish  to  return  before  the 
time  fixed  upon.  There  were  a  good  many  peo- 
ple at  Sadler's,  but  none  of  them  seemed  to  in- 
terest her.  She  decidedly  preferred  to  talk  to 
Sadler  or  to  me  ;  but  although  Peter  is  a  jolly 
fellow,  and  had  some  lively  conversations  with 
her,  he  does  not  seem  to  care  for  protracted  men- 
tal intercourse,  and  it  became  so  plain  to  me  that 
she  depended  upon  me,  in  so  large  a  degree,  for 
companionship  and  intellectual  stimulus,  that  I 
did  not  leave  as  soon  as  I  intended.  It  was  on 
Wednesday,  in  fact,  that  I  steeled  my  heart  and 
told  her  that  I  must  positively  depart  early  the 
following  morning,  or  I  could  not  expect  to  reach 
my  destination  before  the  end  of  the  week.  It 
was  that  evening,  however,  that  we  became  en- 
gaged to  be  married." 

"  What  ?"  cried  Mr.  Archibald.  "  Did  you  dare 
to  propose  yourself  to  that  classic  being  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  the  other,  "  I  cannot,  with  ex- 
actness, say  that  I  did.  It  would  be  difficult,  in- 
deed, for  me  to  describe  the  manner  in  which  we 
arrived  at  this  most  satisfactory  conclusion.  Miss 
254 


CONTINUED    ASSOCIATION 

Raybold  is  a  mistress  of  expression,  and,  without 
moving  a  hair's-breadth  beyond  the  lines  of  maid- 
enly reserve  which  always  environ  her,  she  made 
me  aware,  not  only  that  I  desired  to  propose  mar- 
riage to  her,  but  that  it  would  be  well  for  me  to 
do  so.  There  were  objections  to  this  course, 
which,  as  an  honest  man,  I  could  not  refrain  from 
laying  before  her,  and  with  my  proposition  I 
stated  these  objections,  but  they  were  overruled 
to  my  entire  satisfaction,  and  she  consented  to 
become  Mrs.  Bishop." 

"  Mrs.  Bishop  ?"  said  the  other,  inquiringly. 

"  Oh  yes  ;  Bishop  is  my  name — Henry  C.  Bish- 
op. It  was  this  name  which  suggested  the  title 
which  was  playfully  given  to  me.  Before  our 
compact  was  made  I  had  told  Miss  Raybold  all 
about  my  family.  She  did  not  ask  me  to  do  so, 
but  I  knew  she  desired  the  information,  for  I  had 
learned  to  read  those  beautiful  eyes." 

"  But,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "  how  about  your 
position  ?  Did  you  get  the  place  as  librarian  ?" 

"  No,"  said  the  other,  "  I  did  not  ask  for  it. 
The  question  of  my  vocation  has  been  settled 
most  admkably.  There  never  was  a  human  be- 
ing more  frank,  more  straightforward  and  perti- 
nent than  Miss  Raybold.  She  knows  what  she 
wants,  and  she  makes  her  plans  to  get  it.  With 
regard  to  means  she  is  sufficiently  endowed,  but 
the  life  work  to  which  she  has  devoted  herself  is 
far  more  than  she  can  ever  accomplish  alone. 
She  needs  the  constant  assistance  of  a  sympa- 
thetic and  appreciative  nature,  and  that,  I  am 
happy  to  say,  I  am  able  to  give  to  her  ;  and  were 
I  to  devote  myself  to  any  other  calling  which 
255 


THE    ASSOCIATE    HERMITS 

would  interfere  with  that  assistance,  I  should  be 
doing  her  a  positive  wrong.  Therefore,  should  I 
state  it  in  definite  words,  I  should  say  that  I  am 
to  become  my  wife's  private  secretary.  That  is 
my  position,  and  it  suits  me  admirably  ;  and  I 
may  add  that  Corona  assures  me  that  she  is  thor- 
oughly well  pleased.  We  are  to  be  married  in 
the  fall,  and  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long  before  we 
shall  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  again  our  for- 
mer companions  of  the  hermit  camp." 

"  By-the-way,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  as  his  visitor 
was  about  to  leave,  "  tell  me  something  of  Mat- 
lack.  I  had  a  great  liking  for  our  guide." 

"  All  that  I  can  tell  you  is  this,"  said  Mr.  Bish- 
op, smiling :  "  Not  long  after  we  arrived  at 
Sadler's,  he  went  to  Peter  and  asked  him  if  he 
intended  to  send  out  a  camping  party  to  any 
considerable  distance.  It  so  happened  that  a 
couple  of  gentlemen  were  going  to  a  point  on  the 
very  limits  of  Sadler's  jurisdiction,  and  with  them 
Matlack  petitioned  to  go,  although  another  guide 
had  been  appointed.  I  made  inquiries,  and  found 
that,  for  some  reason,  probably  connected  with 
the  persistencies  of  the  female  sex,  Matlack  had 
become  a  sort  of  Daniel  Boone  and  wanted  to  go 
away  as  far  as*  possible  from  his  kind." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Mr.  Archibald,  "  that  our  example 
has  not  made  a  real  hermit  of  him.  Good-bye. 
I  am  very  sorry  that  Mrs.  Archibald  is  not  at 
home  ;  but  in  both  our  names  I  wish  you  and 
your  future  wife  the  best  of  good  fortunes." 

"  Father,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Kate,  when  she  heard 
of  this  interview,  "  now  you  must  grant  me  one 
more  favor  !  Here  is  another  pair  of  lovers  who 
256 


CONTINUED    ASSOCIATION 

owe  everything  to  our  honey-moon  and  your  wed- 
ding-tour. We  ought  to  know  them,  for  we  made 
them  what  they  are.  So  let  us  invite  them  here, 
and  let  them  be  married  from  this  house.  I  do 
not  believe  Miss  Raybold  has  a  proper  home  of 
her  own  ;  and,  in  any  case,  the  only  way  they  can 
pay  us  what  they  owe  us  is  to  give  us  the  pleas- 
ure of  seeing  them  wedded  here." 

Mr.  Archibald  rose  to  his  feet.  "  No,  madam  !" 
said  he.  "  I  am  willing,  to  a  certain  extent,  to 
make  this  house  a  source  of  hymeneal  felicity, 
but  I  draw  the  line  at  the  bishop.  I  do  not  in- 
tend that  my  home  shall  become  a  matrimonial 
factory  !" 


THE   END 


BY  JOHN  FOX,  JR. 


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MADELON.     A  Novel.     16mo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  25. 
PEMBROKE.  A  Novel.  Illustrated.  IGmo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  50. 
JANE  FIELD.  ANovel.  Illustrated.  16mo, Cloth, Ornamental, $1  25. 
A  NEW  ENGLAND  NUN,  and  Other  Stories.     IGmo,  Cloth,  Orna- 
mental, $1  25. 

A  HUMBLE  ROMANCE,   and  Other  Stories.     16mo,   Cloth,  Orna- 
mental, $1  25. 

YOUNG   LUCRETIA,   and  Other   Stories.     Illustrated.     Post   8vo, 

Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  25. 

GILES    COREY,    YEOMA.N.     A    Play.     Illustrated.     32mo,    Cloth, 
Ornamental,  50  cents. 

Mary  E.  Wilkins  writes  of  New  England  country  life,  analyzes  New 
England  country  character,  with  the  skill  and  deftness  of  one  who  knows 
it  through  and  through,  and  yet  never  forgets  that,  while  realistic,  she  is 
first  and  last  an  artist. — Boston  Advertiser. 

Miss  Wilkins  has  attained  an  eminent  position  among  her  literary  con- 
temporaries as  one  of  tiie  most  careful,  natural,  and  effective  writers  of 
brief  dramatic  incident.  Few  surpass  her  in  expressing  the  homely  pathos 
of  the  poor  and  ignorant,  while  the  humor  of  her  stories  is  quiet,  pervasive, 
and  suggestive. — Philadelphia  Press. 

It  takes  just  such  distinguished  literary  art  as  Mary  E.  Wilkins  possesses 
to  give  an  episode  of  New  England  its  soul,  pathos,  and  poetry. — N.  Y. 
Times. 

The  pathos  of  New  England  life,  its  intensities  of  repressed  feeling,  its 
homely  tragedies,  and  its  tender  humor,  have  never  been  better  told  than 
by  Mary  E.  Wilkins. — Boston  Courier. 

The  simplicity,  purity,  and  quaintness  of  these  stories  set  them  apart  in 
a  niche  of  distinction  where  they  have  no  rivals. — Literary  World,  Boston. 

The  charm  of  Miss  Wilkins's  stories  is  in  her  intimate  acquaintance  and 
comprehension  of  humble  life,  and  the  sweet  human  interest  she  feels 
and  makes  her  readers  partake  of,  in  the  simple,  common,  homely  people 
she  draws — Springfield  Republican. 


NEW   YORK  AND   LONDON  : 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 

The  above  works  are  for  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent  by  mail  by 
the  publishers,  postage  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


I 


BY  EEBECCA  HABDING  DAVIS 


FRANCES  WALDEAUX.  A  Novel.  Illustrated  by 
T.  DE  THULSTRUP.  Post  Svo,  Cloth,  Ornamental, 
$125. 

A  capital  novel,  of  the  modern,  vivacious  type.  .  .  .  The  minor 
characters  of  the  story  furnish  no  stint  of  witty  interplay,  as  they 
sojourn  through  Europe,  and  the  keen  thrusts  and  captious  hits  at 
the  European  nobility  and  American  ambitions  make  truly  racy 
reading. — Boston  Transcript. 

It  grows  in  interest  from  chapter  to  chapter,  and  retains  its 
grasp  on  the  absorbed  attention  from  beginning  to  end.  This 
ought  to  prove  one  of  the  most  successful  stories  of  the  year. — 
Philadelphia  Press. 

"Frances  Waldeaux"  shows  admirable  literary  reticence  and 
good  character  drawing.  The  author  never  reveals  her  plot  pre- 
maturely, and  the  book  therefore  holds  the  interest  to  the  last. 
And  she  makes  living  beings  of  her  characters — Chicago  Tribune. 

DOCTOR  WARRICK'S  DAUGHTERS.  A  Novel. 
Illustrated  by  CLIFFORD  CARLETOK.  Post  8vo,  Cloth, 
Ornamental,  $1  50. 

A  very  enjoyable  story,  .  .  .  written  in  a  sprightly  tone,  with 
here  and  there  a  touch  of  delightfully  amiable  banter.  .  .  .  The 
characters  are  strong  and  drawn  effectively. — Independent,  N.  Y. 

A  story  of  unusual  merit.  Its  success  is  in  its  plot,  though  its 
descriptions  and  its  characters  are  handled  with  a  firm  and  intelli- 
gent grasp. — Boston  Journal. 

A  thoroughly  interesting  story  ;  more  than  that,  an  absorbing 
one.  There  is  a  real  vitality  about  the  characters  and  the  situa- 
tions that  fascinates  one. — Living  Church,  Chicago. 

The  reader  will  be  at  once  struck  with  the  freshness  of  the 
author's  theme  and  of  her  method.  .  .  .  One  of  the  best  novels  of 
the  day. — Philadelphia  Inquirer. 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

HARPER  &   BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 


BY  LILIAN  BELL 


FROM  A  GIRL'S  POINT  OF  VIEW.  16mo,  Cloth,  Orna- 
mental, $1  25. 

"From  a  Girl's  Point  of  View"  is  an  intimate  analysis  of  the  manner  of 
the  modern  man,  as  seen  with  the  eyes  of  the  modern  woman ;  and  it  is  of 
interest  not  only  to  those  from  whose  stand-point  it  is  written,  but  to 
those  at  whom  its  good-humored  shafts  are  directed.  The  best  of  it  is  that' 
Miss  Bell,  while  she  may  be  severe,  is  never  unjust,  and  her  observations 
are  so  apt  that  the  masculine  reader  cannot  but.  laugh,  even  while  he  real- 
izes that  she  is  dealing  with  one  of  his  own  shortcomings. 

A  LITTLE  SISTER  TO  THE  WILDERNESS.  A  Novel.  New 
Edition.  16mo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  25. 

Written  from  the  heart  and  with  rare  sympathy.  .  .  .  The  writer  has  a 
natural  and  fluent  style,  and  her  dialect  has  the  double  excellence  of  being 
novel  and  scanty.  The  scenes  are  picturesque  and  diversified. — Church- 
man, N.  Y. 

THE  UNDER  SIDE  OF  THINGS.  A  Novel.  With  a  Por- 
trait of  the  Author.  ICmo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  Uncut 
Edges  and  Gilt  Top,  $1  25. 

This  is  a  tenderly  beautiful  story.  .  .  .  This  book  is  Miss  Bell's  best 
effort,  and  most  in  the  line  of  what  we  hope  to  see  her  proceed  in,  dainty 
and  keen  and  bright,  and  always  full  of  the  fine  warmth  and  tenderness  of 
splendid  womanhood. — Interior,  Chicago. 

THE  LOVE  AFFAIRS  OF  AN  OLD  MAID.  16mo,  Cloth, 
Ornamental,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Top,  $1  25. 

One  of  the  most  charming  books  of  its  kind  that  has  recently  come 
under  our  notice.  From  its  bright  "  Dedication  "  to  its  sweet  and  gracious 
close,  its  spirit  is  wholesome,  full  of  happy  light,  and  one  lingers  over  its 
pages. — Independent,  N.  Y. 


NEW    YORK    AND    LONDON: 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,   PUBLISHERS 

The  above  works  are  for  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent  by  mail 
by  the  publishers,  postage  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


RENEWED  BOOKS  ARE  SUBJECT  TO  IMMEDIATE 
RECALL 


LIBRARY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

BookSlip-50m-9,'70(N9877s8)458— A-31/5,( 


N?  811820 

Stockton,   F.R. 

The  associate  hermits. 


PS  29  27 
A7 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


